Anish Rauniyar from Kathmandu, Nepal is a co-founder of Jyoti Healthy Snacks, a food manufacturing venture focused on producing high-nutrition energy bars, protein bars, and nut butters that deliver high value to consumers. The project involves launching peanut farming on Nepalese farms by empowering marginalized communities living in the surrounding areas. It also chose peanut farming because of its high nutritional value and quality, and the benefits it can bring to consumers.

In the farms of Rautahat, where people live below the poverty line and earn only one dollar a day, the project employs these community members, providing them with fair wages, capacity building, and skills development. His expectations for the global Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs) include greater youth involvement in driving innovative solutions, stronger global cooperation to tackle sustainable development challenges, and increased participation of technology and artificial intelligence in solving complex issues.

Jyoti Healthy Snacks

The program is committed to improving the livelihoods of marginalized communities in Nepal through sustainable employment and the promotion of modern agriculture.In the Rautahat District, the program collaborates with the local enterprise Fresh Kathmandu to provide technical training to the Paswan community.It helps farmers grow high-quality local raw materials, reducing the dependence on imports and enhancing local food production capabilities. Moreover,the program employs women from low-income families at its production unit near Kathmandu, offering them stable employment and the opportunity for economic independence.This improves their living standards and contributes to the UN SDG 8.

To date, the program has created dozens of jobs, increased agricultural productivity,and reduced the reliance on imported raw materials. By integrating sustainable development practices and empowering marginalized groups, the program has significantly promoted local economic development, skills training, and community resilience building.