SAWTEE and Feed
the Future Project, Winrock International organized a half-day stakeholder roundtable
discussion on “Enabling Environment for Agricultural Technology Innovation and
Adoption: Policy, Legislation and Practice” in Kathmandu on 12 January 2018.
The aim of the
consultation meeting was to identify policy, regulatory and implementation
issues impeding the development, transfer, adaptation and adoption of
appropriate innovative technology in the agriculture sector in Nepal, necessary
for increasing productivity and trade competitiveness. Feedback was sought on
the preliminary findings of a research on the topic, to enrich the study and
generate policy recommendations. In particular, inputs were gathered to prepare
a scorecard of policy and regulatory issues in the area of agricultural
technology in Nepal.
The participants
said that surging imports of agricultural commodities indicated a tremendous
potential for Nepal to expand agricultural production. Speaking at the
programme, stakeholders called for a revamp of critical interventions for the
deployment of productivity-enhancing technologies.
Chair of the roundtable,
Dr Prabhu Budhathoki, Member, National Planning Commission, said policy
interventions aimed at improving the uptake of technology appear to be driven
more by the interest of bureaucrats rather than farmers’ needs. While
participatory methods are much more productive, government-supported training
programmes largely exclude farmers, he added.
Neelu Thapa,
Programme Coordinator, SAWTEE, argued that a credible mapping of existing
agricultural value chains is crucial for farmers’ access to credit. Stating
that Nepal’s agricultural exports are being hindered by safety standards and
requirements in key markets, she emphasized the urgent need to upgrade domestic
testing and certification facilities.
Toya Narayan
Gyawali, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Commerce, pointed to the massive
agricultural imports, exceeding one billion rupees each in over two dozen
commodities. He highlighted the importance of technological learning in
inducing participation in regional and global value chains.
Dr Hari Krishna
Uprety, Communication and Publication Chief, Nepal Agricultural Research
Council, said land consolidation, currently low, is key to commercialized
agriculture. Inadequate understanding about contract farming is preventing rapid
agricultural commercialization, critical for achieving import substitution and
export expansion, said Ms Sunita Nhemaphuki, an entrepreneur associated with
Agri Nepal. Dr Krishna Prasad Pant, agricultural economist, identified poorly
trained extension services workers as a major impediment to dissemination of
technologies among farmers.
Speakers also
highlighted the role of training and awareness-raising programmes, currently
few and far between, in enabling farmers to use agriculture mechanization
tools. Some 20 stakeholders including policymakers, agri-business entrepreneurs
and agriculture sector experts participated in the roundtable discussion.
Programme Agenda
Presentation: Enabling Environment for
Agricultural Technology Innovation and Adoption: Policy, legislation and Practice Review
Neelu Thapa, Programme Coordinator South Asia Watch on Trade,
Economics & Environment (SAWTEE)
