The paddy has been transplanted, but the hard work is far from over.

In Khokana, Lalitpur, farmers are back in the paddy fields, bending over rows of young rice plants to pull out weeds by hand. The painstaking work helps the crop grow without competition for nutrients and water.

For farming families, the weeks after transplanting are among the busiest of the growing season. Long hours in the fields now will determine the quality of the harvest.

Even as urban development continues to encroach on the Kathmandu Valley’s farmland, Khokana remains one of the few places where farming still shapes daily life.