It is the second time to advise the Branch Managers of the Micro Credit programme of Shreejana Banking Programme in pruning fruit trees. The Programme of yearly distribution of Fruit trees to its female Clients has been running since 2014 and in 2018 there were 38000 female members with outstanding loans. The head office is located in Pokhara. This initiative was supported in the Netherlands by SATIN with the 'Adopt a Tree' campaign in Nepal. After achieving the goal of planting 50,000 fruit trees, the foundation has lifted and the Nepalese program continues on its own.

People living in the Gorkha area have adapted to a harsh environment with freezing temperatures, steep gradients and difficult trails. For these special group we search for possibilities to increase their income by introducing new species of fruit trees which can survive in these harsh conditions.

The impacts of a Micro Finance Programme and the fruit tree activity is great. Involvement in social activity, member business oriented, increase in income, increase in habit of saving, change in leadership, increase in social prestige, reconciliation in family, development in social spirit and increase in production.

Through narrow paths and slopes on the way to the proud owners of young fruit trees, the Shreejana Banking Programme distribute fruit trees to its female clients. Each year one fruit tree is planted per client, lasting for five years.

The young mango trees have been given the best place in the vegetable garden. The planting holes are prepared with homemade compost, and mixed with ash from charcoal and old manure from chickens and goats.

Every fruit tree needs enough space to collect full sunlight. A recommended spacing is 4-6 m in the row and till 9 m between rows of the different fruit trees. Fruit trees need not only sunlight for the flower and fruit setting but also enough ventilation in the crown. You can achieve this by good pruning. If there is not enough open space in the crown very soon fungi, viruses and other diseases get a chance to settle.

Discussion around an adult mango tree. All distributed mango trees are connected on a rootstock. Suckers, which grow from the rootstock, steal nutrients from the grafted part of a tree, the top growth, with the characteristics of the selected variety. It also compete in space and sunlight. In this case the right branch is from the rootstock and the crafted part is the left branch. Both branches are growing and competing with each other.

Mango die back is one of the serious fungal diseases of mango. The affected leaf turns brown and its margins roll upwards. Cracks appear on branches and at this stage, leaves falls and twigs or branches die. In nursery, any infected portion should immediately be pruned, followed by spraying pasting of copper oxychloride (0.3%). These problems are usually observed after trees are affected by cold weather, drought, poor fertility and other stress factors. Thus, management of the controllable predisposing factors is beneficial.

The proud owner of a three year old mango tree. There is already competition with other trees so pruning to make room is recommended.

Nepal - Gorkha area.