Towards green, resilient, and inclusive agriculture development in Nepal

Manika Gurung, 31 years old and a mother of two, of Simbu Village of Barpak, Nepal, marvels at the fact that she can earn more money by growing vegetables.

Through better irrigation facilities, she has been able to grow vegetables such as onions, garlic, tomatoes, and cauliflower all year round in her 300 ropanis (37.7 acres) of farmland sprawled in the mountainous terrain of Barpak.

Prior to the irrigation facility, she used to grow rice, maize, and finger millet for consumption purposes only. They had to carry the produce on their back for 3-4 hours to Gorkha Bazaar to sell them. This limited her income source which resulted in weak food security and lack of nutrition for her family.

“I now feel that if you know how to do it, then it could be possible to cultivate any crops you want,” said visibly-happy Gurung. “All you need is irrigation facilities, modern technology, and pest control mechanism.”

Recently, I visited Simbu Village to review implementation support to the World Bank-financed Food and Nutrition Security Enhancement Project (FANSEP) and I was quite happy to meet Gurung and hear her story. She has been able to provide a good education to her 9-year-old son who is in a private school in Gorkha Bazaar. “If I did not have the income then I would not have been able to put him in a good school,” said Gurung.

Gurung is just one of the 60,689 direct beneficiaries of the project who were affected by 2015 Nepal earthquake and the frequently occurring natural disasters and climate-related impacts. Supported by the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP), FANSEP is being implemented in eight remote and vulnerable districts in Madhesh and Bagmati provinces in Nepal since November 2018. FANSEP aims at enhancing climate resilience and improving agricultural productivity and nutrition practices of 65,000 targeted smallholder farming households in these areas.

"Availability of fresh vegetables all year round has not only contributed to the nutrition of our family but has also increased our income,” Gurung adds . “During this season, we have also been cultivating cauliflower, cabbage, and broadleaf mustard in our fields.”

Manika Gurung is also the secretary of Laligurans Farmers Group, a group of smallholder farmers who receive various support and small grants from the project. It has 21 members (13 women and 8 men), all from the ethnic Janajati community in Nepal, who have received improved seeds for seasonal and off-season vegetable seeds, including potatoes from the project.

“Every member of the group has been financially secured and has also expanded their independent farm,” informed Man Bahadur Gurung, Chairperson of the Laligurans Farmers Group. “This project has also brought the people from the community together as a close-knit family. One member of each household were involved in the construction of an 80-meter-long irrigation canal.”

This canal was a scheme proposed by the Laigurans Farmers Group at a cost of NRs. 300,000 (about $2,500) which was competitively selected by the project under a call for proposals for matching grant schemes. With labor contribution worth NRs. 50,000 from the group members, the Group received additional support from the local government for the design, budget estimate, and technical assistance to construct the canal.

The improvements brought about by the irrigation canal have been profound. More than 80 ropani (10 acres) of land are irrigated year-round from the newly constructed canal benefiting 52 households, and has helped improve food and nutrition security in Simbu. In addition to the irrigation canal, the group members have constructed 20 polyhouses in which they grow tomato saplings, and have constructed nurseries for cauliflower, cabbage, broad leaf mustard, tomatoes, and potatoes.

“The tremendous results from this groups’ effort have encouraged us to collaborate with the local government for the sustainability of such schemes,” said Durga Prasad Pandit, Project Cluster Unit Chief . “As next steps, we plan to train the farmers on seasonal and off-season vegetable production, business management, and strengthening market linkage,” Pandit said.

The irrigation scheme in Simbu village is one example of FANSEP’s initiatives to scale up climate-smart food system investments and support to increase farm productivity and lower emissions while also conserving natural resources . Notwithstanding the impacts of COVID-19, thanks to the steady project leadership, coordinated team effort, and technical assistance from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, the project has reached 60,689 direct beneficiaries, 1,619 producer groups and 860 nutrition groups while supporting Nepal’s green, resilient, and inclusive development, one village at a time.