Bhojpur, Feb. 16 -- On a recent morning, Anita Rai made her way down the steep hill from Kattike Bisauni Chowk, in Hatuwagadhi Rural Municipality of Bhojpur district, carrying bags of rice on her back. Just a decade ago, her family would have been collecting rice directly from their own fields. In the heart of Hatuwagadi, a bustling administrative and commercial hub of the area, rice traders now transport goods via tractor to the market, and locals like Anita are left to carry such goods on their backs to their residences.

"Once, we relied on our crops for sustenance," Anita recalls. "We grew rice, maize, millet, pulses, and seasonal vegetables. We raised cows and buffaloes for milk and dairy products, and we only had to buy a few items ...