Overview of agriculture in Nepal: Issues and future strategies

The Northern upland of Himalayan, southern plain lowland, with the hill in the arid, make Nepal a potential area for farming different crops. Agriculture in Nepal is largely based on subsistence farming for the majority of the population and can never be underestimated. Agriculture growth in Nepal has been low and highly vulnerable in recent decades. The farming system has changed, management practices have updated, modern technologies have been adopted, the budget allocation has changed, effective programs and strategies are launched, and many agricultural reformations are made. Yet, the pace of agricultural development has not caught the speed as expected. The production has increased, but not at an anticipated rate. Despite having outstanding production potential, farmers in the country are continually facing tremendous challenges. Technological constraints, resource constraints, and capital constraints are still major problems. Poverty, land degradation, low agricultural productivity, improper use of budget and subsidies, lack of agricultural inputs, poor governmental support, etc. have impeded agricultural development. The simultaneous increase in population on one side and reduce in cultivable land on the opposite side has been a challenge to cope up with for maintaining food security. The long run agriculture is a very important question for the planners and every one. The government and other organizations are trying to address the key challenges of agriculture in Nepal so that agriculture in Nepal can sustain production in the future.