Food and agriculture development and sustainable forestry management in Nepal

Nepal is a poor country. Agriculture forms the basis of the economy and employs up to 70.6% of the workforce. The government’s main poverty reduction policies involve increasing agricultural production and productivity through the government sector as well as the private and cooperative sectors.

ON THE GROUND

In this context, Uniterra has chosen two main focuses, food and agriculture development and sustainable forestry management.

The action priorities of Uniterra’s partners are to increase and diversify agricultural production, to promote the use of high-yield technology to reduce production costs, to process products, and to encourage agricultural entrepreneurship.

The involvement in forestry centres around promoting the commercialization of forest products, creating and developing micro-businesses and encouraging private sector participation in community management of forests.

The work by partners and volunteers has led to a number of successes. These include the creation of commercial links and new business opportunities, along with steps to mobilize inhabitants, especially women, to exploit their resources and skills more effectively. Significant results have also been obtained in commercialization and in training for the management of cooperatives.