Nepali agriculture is typically characterized by small holders and traditional and subsistence farming. The agricultural sector of Nepal has lost its competitive edge owing to a shortage of fertilizers, seeds, irrigation and other productivity-enhancing inputs, resulting in food security concerns for people dependent upon agriculture. The recent decline in agricultural production has depressed rural economies and increased widespread hunger.
Based on three global parameters: affordability, availability, and quality and safety, Nepal ranked 79 out of 105 countries in the Global Food Security Index 2012. Two out of every three Nepalis suffer from food insecurity each year. The situation is even worse in rural and remote areas. The continued food insecurity and lack of economic opportunities has triggered out-migration of youth from rural Nepal in search of employment opportunities. This in turn has resulted in the scarcity of labor force in agricultural sector in Nepal, and is the major reason for the increase in international youth migration.
MYREPUBLICA
Young people make up 39 percent of the total population, defined in Nepal’s National Youth Policy as those aged 16-40. However, 38.8 percent of them are either unemployed or underemployed. Specifically, youth are not interested in farming. Traditional subsistence agriculture has no attraction for the youth, as it has not adapted to the changing socio-economic and climate scenario. A number of polices have guided the agricultural sector to promote food security of Nepal, but have not obtained satisfactory results. The scenario has given rise to a challenge: who will feed Nepal’s population, estimated to reach 47.8 million by 2050?
I believe young people constitute a significant part of the population. Understanding the needs and aspirations of this young population is important to raising awareness and advocating for change. In this regard, here are some sustainable agricultural practices which can enhance youth engagement in agriculture and ensure food security for the present and future.
Change in food habit
Although various cereals are grown in Nepal, the staple food of most Nepalis is rice. Though maize gets a second priority in the hills, rice heavily dominates our food culture, so much so that that people feel deprived if they have to eat any cereal other than rice. There is a need of awareness about food diversification, because often locally produced foods are just as, or more nutritious than rice, but are ignored because of lack of awareness. Educated youth can play a positive role in educating their communities of the nutritional values of locally produced food.
Demand based produce
Nepal is rich in agro-biodiversity and there are several pocket areas which produce specific crops, like tea in Eastern Nepal. These crops have a high demands and can make agriculture more profitable. Promoting such crops is highly beneficial to increasing the income of farmers and engaging youth in agriculture.
Lease hold farming
In Nepal, there are large tracts of lands left fallow, and most land is not farmed based on land use classification. Sustainable land (soil) management practices should be used in arable land, otherwise the resulting land degradation and defragmentation may lead to ecological problems. In this regard, leasehold farming will be better for commercial agriculture, which will create employment opportunities.
Hybrid seeds can be used only once, hence the youth should conserve local germplasm as an alternative.
Product diversification
Product diversification, such as making cheese from milk, increases farmers’ incomes. However, care should be taken that the technology used and volume of production outputted have the least impact on the environment. Agri-food opportunities and food-related activities may give high returns if they are well marketed, reducing benefits to the middlemen who collect from farmer and give to wholesalers. Using locally available crops, it is possible to produce nutritious value-based products through processing technologies, like potato chips from potato. The youth can be directly involved in raising awareness and actually running such types of agri-production.
Germplasm
The open border with India and lack of quarantine and other phyto- sanitary measures has meant a proliferation of hybrid seeds in the markets of Nepal. Hybrid seeds can be used only once, which means that the seeds have to be bought anew every time. The use of hybrid seeds has led to the loss of local seeds. Hybrid seeds are also recorded as having other problems in productivity. For example, using genetically modified seeds had outputted barren cobs of corn in Bara district of Nepal. We should conserve local germplasm not only at the community level, but also at the governmental level. Gene bank program should be maintained more effectively through the government’s agricultural research institutions so as to ensure secure food production to meet increasing demands.
The author is Nepal Representative, Young Professionals’ Platform for Agricultural Research for Development (YPARD)
ypardnepal@gmail.com
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