LEX-FAOC162795

The Agriculture Development Strategy (ADS) is a national sectoral strategy of Nepal for the period 2015-2035. The overall objective of the ADS includes five dimensions of increased food and nutrition security, poverty reduction, competitiveness, higher and more equitable income of rural households, and strengthened farmers’ rights. In the area of food security, the document provides that all outcomes, outputs, and activities of the ADS will contribute to improve food and nutrition security either directly or indirectly. It targets increasing the volume of food production in Nepal in a sustainable way through higher productivity and sustainable use of natural resources; reducing vulnerability of farmers through improved food/feed/seed reserves, improved preparedness and response to emergencies, and climate smart agricultural practices; increasing income of farmers; improving access to markets; reducing post-harvest losses; improving food safety; relying upon trade for a more diversified diet; accelerating the growth of micro, small, and medium agro-enterprises including those headed by women, youth, disadvantaged groups, and individuals based in disadvantaged regions. Furthermore, the ADS promotes the formulation of legislation related to food rights and food sovereignty consistently with the principles of the Interim Constitution 2063 (2007 AD). The ADS also aims increasing prosperity of farmers and agro-entrepreneurs through higher incomes, improved livelihoods, and food and nutrition security. The ADS promotes inclusion of disadvantaged groups and regions and an approach to value chain development based on Markets for the Poor that emphasizes the need of more equal benefits distribution along the value chain. Similarly, the ADS promotes the growth of agro-enterprises led by traditionally excluded groups such as women, youth, and other disadvantaged groups such as the Dalit and the Janajatis. Further, according to the Strategy, in order to achieve the vision, the ADS will accelerate agricultural sector growth through four strategic components including governance, productivity, profitable commercialization, and competitiveness while promoting inclusiveness (both social and geographic), sustainability (both natural resources and economic), development of private sector and cooperative sector, and connectivity to market infrastructure (e.g. agricultural roads, collection centers, packing houses, market centers), information infrastructure and ICT, and power infrastructure (e.g. rural electrification, renewable and alternative energy sources). The specific outputs of the Strategy include a decentralized extension and research systems responsive to farmers and agro-enterprises’ needs; a strengthened agricultural education system; a farming sector composed of adequately sized farms that use land efficiently and sustainably; irrigated area expanded equitably and viably, and improved irrigation efficiency and management; timely access to quality agricultural inputs at affordable price; effective implementation of existing seed policies including Seed Vision 2013-2025 through sufficient investment in resources and capacity building; a pragmatic solution to fertilizer supply that is acceptable in the short term, clearly indicates a strategy for the medium and long term, and aims at improving productivity; a variety of improved animal breeds appropriate for the Nepal farming systems conditions are available to farmers; a range of mechanization options accessible to farmers through the private sector; improved resilience of farmers to climate change, disasters, price volatility and other shocks; sustainable farming, good agricultural practices, good veterinary animal husbandry practice are established; and subsistence production based forestry, agriculture friendly and inclusive forest management practice, with a holistic and community based landscape approach to natural resource management and livelihoods improvement. In the area of climate change, the document plans to support the Local Adaptation Plan for Action as implementation support for the National Adaptation Program of Action for climate change and emphasize the role of forestry sector components for adaptation and mitigations; develop with policy decision, implement and scale up schemes related to payment of environmental services including carbon sequestrations; and promote use of alternative/renewable energy and energy saving scheme among the local forestry groups. For disasters, the ADS provides for establishing an early warning system; promoting agricultural insurance; strengthening the food reserve system; strengthening the seed and feed/fodder reserve system; and establishing a fund for preparedness and response to droughts, flood, epidemics and emergencies affecting rural areas and farmers not covered by agricultural insurance. The ADS will be monitored regularly, professionally, and in a participative manner. Monitoring division and units will be strengthened at the Ministry of Agricultural Development and department levels and will be provided support and capacity building by the ADS Implementation Support Unit. Regular policy monitoring will be carried out by Policy and International Cooperation coordination Division. Monitoring of the ADS will go beyond inputs and output monitoring and include outcomes and impact monitoring according to the targets and design monitoring framework of the ADS programs. Monitoring reports will be publicly available both in Nepali and English and discussed regularly at national and local events.