The new government, soon to be inaugurated, must seize the opportunity to revive declining agriculture, marked by years of neglect, mismanagement, and corruption, and prioritize its development to guard national food security.

Despite 65 percent of Nepal’s population being engaged in farming, food production has stagnated for years, with rising food imports reaching 1.7m–2m tons per year. These problems are mainly attributed to irregular and limited supplies of key agricultural inputs, climate threats, inadequate irrigation, lack of technical know-how, rising acreage of fallow lands, among others, and inadequate proactive government responses. 

Nepal’s neighbours, both India and China, have made remarkable progress in agricultural development and food production, with multifold increases in productivity and acreage to improve food self-reliance. India is now producing 330m tons of cereals, compared to 50–60m tons some 65–70 years ago, along with 120m tons of reserve stocks and 40 percent global market share of rice, as well as the provision of food rations to 800m people at a subsidized rate.

Our experience in farming in Nawalpur for the last three years has shed some light on the multiple troubling experiences faced by farmers. There are climate threats, difficulties in obtaining improved varieties of seeds, high costs of production, and forced selling of produce at below production costs. Mechanisms to access government support are too complicated for an ordinary farmer. Agricultural cooperatives in the neighbourhood play some positive role in supplying fertilizer, seeds, and tools. But what is missing is proper guidance for higher productivity and maximizing returns with the right variety of crops to make agriculture a profitable enterprise.

Over the years, Nepal has made good progress in addressing malnutrition, and people are consuming more nutritious food, mainly because of increased remittances supporting families through migration and foreign employment. Yet, an estimated 25 percent of children under five face chronic malnutrition (stunting), with significantly higher levels (including micronutrient deficiencies) in the Far West and Tarai regions; and moderate to chronic food insecurity affects 4m–5m people in the country.

As part of its international commitments, Nepal signed on to the agenda for the Sustainable Development Goals, with a promise for improvements in 17 goals related to poverty, education, health, good governance, and the environment, including Zero Hunger by 2030. It is likely that most of the goals will not be achieved. In the context of the goal, Zero Hunger, the country must make efforts towards:

• Ending hunger and ensuring access to safe, nutritious food for all, particularly the poor, all year round;
• Ending all forms of malnutrition, including internationally agreed targets of stunting and wasting in children under five, and addressing the nutritional needs of girls, pregnant women, and the elderly;
• Doubling the agricultural productivity of small-scale food producers and family farmers, and giving them access to market opportunities, value addition, and non-farm employment; and
• Improving resilient agricultural practices to adapt to climate change (extreme weather, drought, and flooding) to increase production.

Unfortunately, none of the issues listed here have received significant attention, and these targets will not be met by 2030.

Transforming agriculture will contribute to achieving self-reliance, ensuring national security, generating employment, and helping improve the country’s economy. For a country like Nepal, agricultural programs could differ based on climate zones to include cereal crops, horticulture, vegetables, and others, as well as focus on animal husbandry, poultry, and fishery. Such diversification will help adapt to diverse climate conditions and create new opportunities for youth employment in the country. The Government should be able to generate adequate regional and international support to take this agenda forward.

In conclusion, going forward, here is a five-point agenda for action:

• Engage people with strong, proven leadership, expertise, experience, and vision in agricultural development to lead the agricultural sector.
• Take stock and review the challenges facing the agricultural sector and develop new strategies, policies, programs, and action plans with adequate financial support.
• Establish a logistics system and supply chain mechanism to provide access to improved varieties of seeds, fertilizer, and other inputs, as well as access to markets, and ensure minimum prices and guaranteed procurement of cereals.
• Create incentives for youth engagement in the agricultural sector by establishing mechanisms for access to land, finance, irrigation water, and modern agricultural practices. Also establish mechanisms for the involvement of agricultural cooperatives, agricultural universities, and the private sector, and the use of digital technology in supporting agriculture.
• Support vulnerable communities with specific food and nutrition programs and promote nutrition-oriented farming to address malnutrition and achieve zero hunger.

The author is former UN Resident Coordinator/UNDP Resident Representative and WFP Representative, with four decades of experience within the UN system in development and humanitarian leadership roles in several countries and WFP HQ, Italy