Parbat, May 4 -- six-year-old Thaneshwar Bhusal of Mudikuwa, Phalebas Municipality-4, never imagined that lapsi-the tart fruit often left to rot in nearby forests-could become a source of income.

For years, Bhusal had watched lapsi trees bear fruit that fell and decayed. Until 2001, no one had made him realise the potential of this neglected wild fruit.

Former Nepali Congress lawmaker Rishikesh Tiwari introduced the idea of linking politics to entrepreneurship. Although he wasn't the lawmaker in 2001, he helped establish the Parbat Community Development Organisation and became its first chairperson.

Through this organisation, Bhusal learned for the first time that wild fruits like lapsi and amala could be collected and processed for co...