The agricultural sector has a 27% contribution to the GDP of the Nepalese economy. The livelihoods of 60.4% of the population are associated with agriculture as their major profession. This shows that agriculture has been the backbone of Nepal’s economy. This article identifies the problem of agriculture in Nepal and discusses the importance, past efforts to reform, and solution of identified problems.
Importance of agriculture in Nepal
The major 5 importance of agriculture in Nepal are as follows:
- The backbone of economic growth and development.
- Source of National Income.
- To supply raw materials for agro-industries.
- Huge prospect with almost 18% fertile land.
- To reduce the trade deficit by exporting agro-products.
- Retain youth in Nepal and reduce brain draining.
Problem of Agriculture in Nepal
7 problems of agriculture in Nepal can be listed as follows:
- Lack of resources and technologies: Using little land with advanced technology may lead to high productivity compared to using larger land with traditional methods. (Note: The quantity of production produced by one unit of land is known as the productivity of the land.)
- Inadequate physical infrastructures: Nepal is lacking essential physical infrastructures such as irrigation, roads, agricultural markets, cold storage, warehouses, and collection centers.
- Low Improved breeds and seeds replacement rates: Only a few farmers are conscious to replace breeds and seeds with improved ones. It directly affects the production of the agriculture sector.
- Rapid Fragmentation of Land: Fragmentation of land is the division of land among land users for residential purposes or expansion of the urban area. These activities have affected agriculture habits and practices negatively.
- Imbalanced Use of Pesticides: Pesticides hurt the environment and human health. Additionally, it gradually decreases the productivity of land in long run.
- Lack of Market: Agro-products do not get proper and easy access to the market. Products like apples in hilly districts (For example Jumla, Humla, and Dolpa) districts get rotten in the lack of distribution channels toward the market.
- Unable to Adapt to Climate Change: Nepali farmers are facing problems like floods, drought, and hailstones due to climate change. They do not have skills in timing management by the adaptation technique of climate change and this situation leads to the loss of crops on the land before collecting crop yields.
Past Efforts to Reform Agriculture in Nepal
The above-mentioned problems have been seen for many years and stakeholders have acted to reform the agriculture sector in Nepal.
Efforts already taken in the policy, program, and structural level to reform agriculture in Nepal are as follows:
- Policy Effort
- Land Reform Act, 2021 (All dates are in Nepali format B.S.)
- Long-Term Agriculture Policy, 2052
- National Agriculture Policy, 2061
- Agriculture Business Act, 2063
- Agriculture Bio-Diversity Policy, 2063
- National Land Utilization Policy, 2069
- Agriculture Strategic Plan, 2072
- Internalization of agriculture reform strategy in the National Period Plan.
- Program effort
- One village one product: Started from the fiscal year 2064/65 and now extended in more than 42 districts.
- Agriculture counting every 10 years
- Presidential best farmer prize
- Structural Efforts
- Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development and under entities
- Ministry of Irrigation and under entities
- Agriculture Knowledge Center
- National Agriculture Development Board
- Agriculture Development Bank
- Agriculture Research Council
The Gap Between Problems And Efforts
Although the government of Nepal has done many efforts to strengthen agriculture in Nepal but expected result is not achieved yet. The proportion of the population involved in agriculture and the productivity of land both are decreasing. Agricultural products are unable to support the Nepalese industrial sector which results in an increasing figure of trade deficit every year.
Many youths are heading for foreign employment instead of being professional farmers in their nation. Many things still have to be done for mainstreaming the agriculture sector as the strong backbone and base of the Nepalese Economy. Solutions for the problems in the agriculture sector will be discussed upcoming section.
11 Solutions For the Problem of Agriculture in Nepal
According to the 15th periodic plan, Nepal has planned to increase the productivity of agricultural production (Major crops) from 3.1 metric tons per hectare to 4 metric tons per hectare.
To solve the problems seen in agriculture and achieve the target of plan, budget, and policies, the following 11 suggestions should be considered and implemented:
- Scientific Land reform should be done
- policy interruption to stop unsystematic fragmentation of land
- liking agriculture, industry, and trade
- promoting organic fertilizer Do you know?
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- Focus on agricultural human resource development
- training and development of existing farmers
- Promoting Research and development
- Easy and low-interest rate loans for farmers
- Expansion of agricultural infrastructure.
- commercialization of agro-product
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Conclusion
The agricultural sector in Nepal has a high prospect with lots of challenges. Reform and strengthening of this sector are intensively necessary for Nepal at this moment. Small but systematic reforms will generate huge improvement in this sector.
As we have a population dividend, motivating and facilitating youths in this sector will promote advanced technology-based agriculture, and productivity and production will be increased together.
FAQ
1. Why is Nepal known as agricultural country?
Nepal is an agricultural country because almost 60 percent of the total population in Nepal is associated with agriculture as their major profession and the agriculture sector has more than one-fourth contribution to National Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
2. How can agriculture be a solution to the country’s problem?
Agriculture can be a solution to the country’s problem because it contributes to the Gross Domestic Production (GDP) of a country and supports the industrial sector of the country’s economy.
3. Which agriculture is best in Nepal?
Rice, Maize, Wheat, and Millet are the major agricultural products in Nepal. Among them, rice is the best agricultural product in Nepal.
4. What is scope of agriculture in Nepal?
The scope of agriculture in Nepal is very comprehensive in Nepal. You can go for commercial farming industries, Agriculture related government jobs. BSc in Agriculture is famous in Nepal for a better career.
Note : Statistics used in this article are based on the 15th Periodic Plan of Nepal
