| Project Detail |
In spite of agriculture making up 35 percent of Nepal’s GDP and absorbing 76 % of the labour force, agricultural production has barely kept up with the demands of its growing population over the past decade. Overall cereal output increased by 15.9 %, whereas the consumption requirement increased by more than 20.8 %. If current production growth rates remain constant and requirement continues to increase, it is likely that in the next 3-5 years Nepal will become consistently food deficit at the national level. Pressure on vegetable and other cash crop production is equally severe. The total land area of Nepal is 14.7 million ha of which some 2.64 mio ha are under cultivation of which 1.77 mio ha are irrigable. Approximately 1.28 mio ha are provided with some type of irrigation facility. Only 38% of irrigated land has a year round water supply. In the 9 programme districts, an estimated 71,000 ha out of the total agriculture area of 234,000 ha are provided with some form of irrigation. Much less of it has a year round irrigation.
Objectives The programme’s goal is ‘Rural poor especially the disadvantaged groups (DAGs) increase their agricultural income.’ It is foreseen that in the areas of intervention per capita agricultural income increases by 40% and the reduction of poverty by 10% (from 25% to 22.5%). |
