The year-on-year annual Consumer Price Index (CPI) reached its lowest for 2023/24 at 3.6 but the CPI for food and beverage was higher than the national CPI indicating higher costs for these essential items compared to other non-goods and services. Annual remittance inflow increased by 16.5 percent in July 2024, although the increase was lower than the same period of the previous year. The number of Nepali workers applying for entry renewal declined by 1.4 percent.

 

In June 2024, the national wage rate index and remittance inflows to Nepal increased, while the Consumer Price Index (CPI) declined, improving the purchasing power of lower-income households. The lower CPI was partly due to falling prices for ghee and edible oil, making nutritious options more affordable for both rural and urban households. However, increased prices for cereals, certain fruits, vegetables eggs, fish, and meat have negatively affected these households. Additionally, rising petroleum prices have increased production costs for farmers, potentially leading to higher food prices in the future.

The Nepal Living Standard Survey IV (2022-23) reveals significant shifts in Nepal’s agricultural practices, highlighting a decline in the number of agriculture households and average land holding, changes in crop cultivation, and a reduction in livestock farming.

A significant gender wage gap persists in Nepal’s agricultural sector, with women earning less than men, particularly in Banke district, while Bardia and Dang districts show gender parity in the Feed the Future (FtF) Zone of Influence (ZoI). This highlights ongoing gender inequality and the urgent need for initiatives to promote equity and improve the livelihoods of female agricultural workers.

 

 

Agriculture is always impacted by war. However, Russia’s war in Ukraine – between two big agricultural production players in the setting of globalized agricultural markets – incurs never-before-considered implications for global agriculture and food security. Russia and Ukraine are significant exporters of maize, wheat, fertilizers, edible oils and crude oil: trade that is compromised by the war, with the greatest impact being on the poor and low-income countries that rely most on food imports. Partly because of the Ukraine–Russia conflict and partly due to the decline in agricultural production caused by the climate emergency, food prices have increased between 9.5 and 10.5 percent over the past ten years. 

According to a World Bank report, Nepal is one such low-income country, where one in every four families is impoverished. Although wheat, maize and rice are staples, vegetables are also important for nutrition and income, and Nepal imports fuel and fertilizer for their domestic production. Uncertainty in global supply chains, combined with the Nepali rupee’s significant depreciation against the U.S. dollar, has resulted in a 500 percent increase in the cost of diesel since 2012. ­­

Land irrigation is crucial to crop growth and to the capacity of farmers to withstand the effects of the climate emergency and economic shock. Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia (CSISA) advises farmers (particularly women), governments and donors on the targeted support available to enable them to access existing low-cost and fuel-efficient engineering solutions, which can contribute to the immediate goals of increasing agricultural productivity, intensifying groundwater irrigation and improving rural livelihoods. It informs small producers about potential ways of gaining access to irrigation and how to develop water entrepreneurship, and empowers farmers, especially women, to improve service provisions and to gain access to services and irrigation pumps, including through access to finance.

Full text published in Agrilinks here.

Call for innovative concept notes for promotion of resource-conserving machinery interventions in Lumbini, Karnali, and Far-western Provinces 

The CSISA-COVID Response and Resilience Activity-Objective III is seeking Expressions of Interest (EOI) from private companies engaged in agricultural mechanization (repairing, distributing and manufacturing) to partner with the project. The project anticipates signing agreements with one or more successful partner(s), subject to alignment with the project priorities, due diligence, and agreement on terms.

Project Background

The CSISA-COVID Response and Resilience Activity is a buy-in from the USAID/Nepal mission which aims to support rapid response and resilience-building from the second wave of COVID-19 in Nepal’s agri-food systems. This project, implemented throughout seven southwestern districts of Nepal initiated in July 2020 and will end by June 2023. The CSISA-COVID Response Activity is currently implementing COVID Response and Resilience Activity in Lumbini, Sudurpaschim, and Karnali provinces.

Each district requires at least one agricultural machinery-related private sector to promote proven agriculture-based technologies or new technologies in the agriculture sector that should be beneficial to small landholder farmers. Further, the proposed technologies should also be women-friendly and should be worthwhile to women. 

To apply: 

CSISA project is looking for interested agricultural machinery related private sector who meet the above requirements should encourage to apply by submitting their Expression of Interest (EOI) covering activity proposal, financial proposal, and legal documents in the prescribed template (available here). The maximum budget for each proposal should be NPR 6 lakhs where 50% of the total budget should be covered by the private sector. The EOI can be submitted either electronically or physically at the following addresses. If you have any queries, please feel free to contact us at the following addresses.

Province	District	CSISA office location	Contact Person
Lumbini	Kapilvastu Dang	Lamahi Municipality-5, Ratodanda, Dang	Sagar Kafle  s.kafle@cgiar.org  Phone: 9851310587
Lumbini	Banke Bardiya	Nepalgunj Sub-metropolitan-13, Ramlila Maidan, Banke	Salin Acharya  s.acharya@cgiar.org  Phone: 9851223521
Sudurpaschim	Kailali Kanchanpur	Dhangadhi Sub-metropolitan-5, Hasanpur, Kailali	Lokendra Khadka  l.khadka@cgiar.org  Phone: 9851318760
Karnali	Surkhet	Birendranagar-7, Kalinchowk, Surkhet	Narendra Niraula  n.niraula@cgiar.org  Phone: 9851333574

The CSISA project team will evaluate the applications and select the firms based on the proposed methodology, nature of technology, and its potential impacts on smallholder farmers and marginalized communities. The duration of proposal implementation will be till December 2022. All agricultural machinery-related private sectors are eligible to apply to this EOI. Priority will be given to the proposal that has at least 50% contribution from the firm and has a concrete plan to empower women farmers encouraging them to be machinery service providers and entrepreneurs.   

Applications must be received no later than 17 June 2022. Applications received past the deadline will not be considered.

The CSISA COVID-19 Response and Resilience Activity has signed an agreement with Mega Bank Nepal Ltd. to facilitate access to finance by promoting digital banking for smallholder farmers. A brief agreement signing ceremony was organized on May 6th, 2022, at the corporate office of Mega Bank Nepal Ltd, Kamaladi, Kathmandu. 

The agreement was jointly signed by Dr. Corey O’Hara (Principle Investigator, CSISA and Country Director, iDE Nepal) and  Ms. Raveena Desraj Shrestha (Acting Chief Executive Officer) on behalf of the CSISA COVID-19 program and Mega Bank Nepal Ltd., respectively

The main purpose of this agreement is to facilitate access to finance through the promotion of digital banking for smallholder farmers to invest in and practice climate-smart/appropriate agricultural technologies, leading them from subsistence to commercial agriculture. The agreement also endorses facilitating returnee migrant workers and small and medium-sized agri-based enterprises to expand their businesses or start a new enterprise.

This agreement aims to promote 2,500 ‘Mega Smart Krishi Card’ – a digital banking tool developed by Mega Bank in collaboration with R&D Innovate Solution Pvt. Ltd. At least 500 of these cards will be linked to affordable agricultural loans. The combined approach will mean lower overall interest payments for farmers and ongoing access to capital throughout the growing season.

The CSISA-COVID Response and Resilience Activity-Objective III is seeking Expressions of Interests (EOI) from private companies engaged in agricultural mechanization (repairing, distributing and manufacturing) to partner with the project. The project anticipates signing agreements with one or more successful partner(s), subject to alignment with the project priorities, due diligence, and agreement on terms.

Project Background

The CSISA-COVID Response and Resilience Activity is a buy-in from the USAID/Nepal mission which aims to support a rapid response and resilience-building from the second wave of COVID-19 in Nepal’s agri-food systems. This project, implemented throughout seven southwestern districts of Nepal initiated in July 2020 and will end by June 2023.

Introduction to the mechanics development program

One of the key interventions of the CSISA-COVID Response and Resilience Activity is to design and deploy capacity development of mobile mechanics for agricultural machinery in Western districts of Nepal; for which a challenge fund mechanism is set. The main objective of this program is to backstop the private sector interested in developing agricultural machinery mobile mechanics.

Name of Program requested for EOI: Development of Mobile mechanics for agricultural machinery in western districts of Nepal

Working area: Kapilvastu, Dang, Banke, Bardiya, Kailali, Kanchanpur and Surkhet.

The agricultural machinery may mean all the equipment and mechanical technologies used in all agricultural operations, from field preparation to post-harvest. It may include simple hand tools, like a jab planter, to the hefty types of machinery, like combine harvesters.

After the training, the trainee should be able to repair, maintain, troubleshoot, assemble, and disassemble the specific machinery mentioned in their curriculums.

The implementing firm should cover 50% of the total cost of the training for male trainees, and the CSISA project will support the remaining 50%. In the case of female trainees, CSISA will cover 75% of the training cost per female participant. The estimated budget for the 6-months training should be up to 70 thousand rupees (NPR 70,000) per trainee.

Application and Submission of Information

• Please see the details of the EoI and scope of work through the following Google Doc link.

• All applications must be submitted following the template and instructions provided in Annex 1 for the EOI application form, technical and financial proposal.
• All costs associated with responding to this solicitation shall be the sole responsibility of each applicant. 
• CSISA reserves the right not to make any award from this solicitation.

Expressions of interest shall be delivered via email to s.adhikari@cgiar.org or submitted physically to any hub office of the CSISA project before June 10th, 2022 05:00pm. If the last date of obtaining and submitting the EOI documents happens to be a holiday, the next working day will be deemed the due date, but the time will be the same as stipulated.

For any queries regarding the EOI and application process, please contact Subash Adhikari, Agriculture Machinery Engineer, 9841893657.  

Request for Expressions of Interest to partner with the Feed the Future Bangladesh Cereal Systems Initiatives for South Asia Mechanization Extension Activity (CSISA MEA) in the Feed the Future Zone of Influence

The Feed the Future Bangladesh Cereal Systems Initiatives for South Asia Mechanization Extension Activity (CSISA MEA) is seeking Expressions of Interest (EOI) from private companies engaged in agricultural mechanization, agricultural inputs, or manufacturing of agricultural machinery and equipment to partner with the project in the Feed the Future Zone of Influence. The project anticipates signing agreements with one or more successful partner(s), subject to alignment with CSISA MEA and USAID’s priorities, due diligence, and agreement on terms.

PROJECT BACKGROUND

CSISA-MEA is a five-year project, funded by USAID and implemented by CIMMYT and its partners: iDE and Georgia Institute of Technology (GT). The project aims to support the growth and expansion of agricultural mechanization in Bangladesh so that smallholder farmers can affordably access cost and resource-saving sowing, irrigation, harvesting, and other types of machinery. CSISA-MEA supports market actors along the entire value chain including machinery manufacturers, ag machinery importers and retailers, dealers, mechanics, spare parts vendors, and machinery “local service providers” who provide services directly to farmers.

SCOPE OF WORK AND PRIORITY AREAS OF INTEREST

CSISA-MEA is looking to work with agricultural machinery, inputs companies, financial institutions and agricultural businesses who are currently operating in, or looking to expand the business, in one or more of the 20 districts in the USAID Feed the Future Zone of Influence.  CSISA-MEA is inviting companies/firms which are interested in designing new and innovative business models and activities targeting the farmers of the working area. All concepts are expected to focus on the overarching areas of:

• Establishing/ expanding/ improving / innovating business models to support 1) more underserved market actors in the rural  areas (e.g. women, youth) so that they can set up machinery service businesses that also improve their crop and input sales and 2) new and underserved  geographic markets in the FtF zone.
• Innovative business ideas that target and benefit underserved farmers, local service providers (LSPs), women and youth in the working area and can be scaled up beyond project support.
• Address a specific market challenge that may not be resolved without the intervention.
• Ability to scale up the concept beyond the project support. 
• Address food security issues.

The scope of work has three different categories targeted to organizations:
Category 1: Improve the agricultural competitiveness and efficiency of domestic agricultural machinery manufacturing, assembly, use, and servicing, input and output delivery channels, as well as enhancing the capacity of the youth workforce. Relevant for Lead machinery firms, ABLE SMEs.
Category 2: Improve access to financial services to enable agricultural-based light engineering (ABLE) MSMEs to obtain financing for investments in new agricultural machinery manufacturing and/or machine purchases and make ABLE MSMEs ready for financing. Relevant for bank and non-bank financial institutions, MFIs.
Category 3: Developing new/ innovative channels to improve manufacturing capacity to ABLE MSMEs and capacity building on agricultural solution models for local machinery service providers. Relevant for startups or businesses with innovative business models.

Working Area: The areas include Barisal division, Khulna division,  Bogura in Rajshahi division, Gopalganj, Madaripur, Shariatpur, Faridpur, and Rajbari districts in the Dhaka division and Cox’s Bazar District.

Application and Submission Information:

• Please see the details of the EoI and scope of work through the following Google Doc link.
• All applications must be submitted following the template and instruction provided in Annex for the EOI application form, technical and financial proposal.
• Application Format: Applications must be submitted in English and using 11 point font size.
• All costs associated with responding to this solicitation shall be the sole responsibility of each applicant. 
• CSISA-MEA reserves the right not to make any award from this solicitation.
• Legal documents: This should include documents mentioned in the eligibility section and any other documents that relate to your functioning in Bangladesh.

Please submit your application to bangladesh.procurement@ideglobal.org with the subject line ‘CSISA-MEA Feed the Future Expression of Interest’. The applications will be assessed on a first received first assessed basis starting from 25th January, 2022. Only shortlisted firms will be contacted for the next round of the selection process. For any queries regarding the EOI and application process, please contact Ahmed Shihab Zaman, Intervention Manager, by email: aszaman@ideglobal.org.

Expression of interest for agricultural machinery and spare parts manufacturing in partnership with the Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia Mechanization Extension Activity (CSISA-MEA).

CIMMYT in collaboration with iDE, and Georgia Institute of Technology are partnering in the USAID-funded Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia Mechanization Extension Activity (CSISA-MEA) to increase the productivity, competitiveness and efficiency of domestic agricultural machinery manufacturing, assembly, use, and servicing through building manufacturing capacity, improving the quality of manufacturing practices, increasing workplace safety, and strengthening agriculture mechanization market systems.

CSISA-MEA is looking to form partnerships with the machinery or parts manufacturers in the following areas: 

• Spare parts manufacture and Mechanics shops
• Assisting manufacturers to access quality raw materials
• Assisting in improving the assembly process for the agricultural, post-harvest, and processing machineries
• Enhancing technical skills of your staff, including women and youth
• Development of new business models for sales of appropriate machinery to farmers
• Develop linkage with financial institutes

If you are an agricultural machinery or machinery parts manufacturer and would like to explore the potential partnership with the CSISA-MEA project, we are delighted to ask you to submit a formal expression of interest by completing and returning the documents listed in this EOI. You may download both English and Bangla versions (links below) of this EOI or ask for a printed copy by calling the following phone number.

To collect a printed copy, call: 01711430678 (Faridpur) | 01715404050 (Jashore)

Further guidance on the submission in the EoI documents below:

Faridpur region: Bangla (PDF, Word) | English (PDF, Word)

Jashore region: Bangla (PDF, Word) | English (PDF, Word)

Deadline for submission: November 25 2021, 5:00 pm (Bangladesh time)

EOI বিজ্ঞপ্তি

কৃষি যন্ত্রপাতি ও স্পেয়ার পার্টস উৎপাদকদের জন্য সিরিয়াল সিস্টেমস ইনিশিয়িটিভ ফর সাউথ এশিয়া মেকানাইজেশন এক্সটেনশন একটিভিটি ( সিসা-এমইএ)এর সাথে পার্টনারশিপে কাজ করার আহবানের (EOI) বিজ্ঞপ্তি

সিসা-এমইএ প্রকল্পের পক্ষ থেকে শুভেচ্ছা।

স্থানীয়ভাবে তৈরিকৃত কৃষিজ পণ্যের উৎপাদন, সন্নিবেশন (এসেম্বলিং), ব্যবহার, সার্ভিসিং এর দক্ষতা বৃদ্ধি, মানসম্মত পণ্য তৈরির চর্চা বাড়ানো, কর্মক্ষেত্রের পরিবেশ উন্নতকরণ ও পণ্যের বাজার ব্যবস্থা কে শক্তিশালী করার লক্ষ্যে সিরিয়াল সিস্টেমস ইনিশিয়েটিভ ফর সাউথ এশিয়া মেকানাইজেশন এক্সটেনশন অ্যাক্টিভিটি (সিসা-এমইএ) প্রকল্পটি সিমিট,, ইউএসএআইডি-এর অর্থায়নে আইডিই, এবং জর্জিয়া ইনস্টিটিউট অফ টেকনোলজির সহযোগিতায় বাস্তবায়ন করছে।

সিসা-এমইএ নিম্নলিখিত ক্ষেত্রে মেশিন বা যন্ত্রাংশ প্রস্তুতকারকদের সাথে পার্টনারশিপে কাজ করার সন্ধান করছে:

●  খুচরা যন্ত্রাংশ উৎপাদক এবং মেকানিক শপ

●  উৎপাদকদের জন্য মানসম্মত কাঁচামাল সরবরাহ নিশ্চিত করা

●  কৃষি উৎপাদনের জন্য প্রয়োজনীয় যন্ত্র, ফসল কাটার যন্ত্র ও ফসল কাটার পর প্রস্তুতকরনে প্রয়োজনীয় যন্ত্র সামগ্রীর সন্নিবেশনে (এসেম্বলিং) এ সহায়তা দেয়া

●  নারী এবং যুব কর্মীসহ আপনার কর্মীদের প্রযুক্তিগত দক্ষতা বৃদ্ধি করা

●  কৃষকদের উপযুক্ত যন্ত্রপাতি বিক্রির জন্য নতুন ব্যবসায়িক মডেলগুলির বিকাশ ঘটানো

●  আর্থিক প্রতিষ্ঠানের সাথে সংযোগ স্থাপন

আপনি যদি কোনও কৃষি মেশিন বা যন্ত্রপাতি যন্ত্রাংশ প্রস্তুতকারক হয়ে থাকেন এবং সিসা-এমইএ প্রকল্পের সাথে পার্টনারশিপে কাজ করতে চান তবে এই বিজ্ঞপ্তির তালিকাভুক্ত কাগজাদি পূরণ করে আমাদের নিকট পাঠিয়ে দিলে আমরা বাধিত থাকব। EOI এর ইংরেজী এবং বাংলা উভয় সংস্করণ সংযুক্ত আছে, আপনি যে কোনও সংস্করণ পূরণ করতে পারেন। নিম্নে উল্লেখিত ফোন নাম্বারে কল করে EOI এর বিজ্ঞপ্তির লিঙ্কটিও জেনে নিতে পারেন।

প্রিন্ট কপি সংগ্রহের জন্য কল করুনঃ 01711430678 (ফরিদপুর) | 01715404050 (যশোর)

Expression of interest for agricultural machinery and spare parts manufacturing in partnership with the Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia Mechanization Extension Activity (CSISA-MEA)

CIMMYT in collaboration with iDE, and Georgia Institute of Technology are partnering in the USAID-funded Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia Mechanization Extension Activity (CSISA-MEA) to increase the productivity, competitiveness and efficiency of domestic agricultural machinery manufacturing, assembly, use, and servicing through building manufacturing capacity, improving the quality of manufacturing practices, increasing workplace safety, and strengthening agriculture mechanization market systems.

CSISA-MEA is looking to form partnerships with the machinery or parts manufacturers in the following areas:

• Spare parts manufacture and Mechanics shops
• Assisting manufacturers to access quality raw materials
• Assisting in improving the assembly process for the agricultural, post-harvest, and processing machineries
• Enhancing technical skills of your staff, including women and youth
• Development of new business models for sales of appropriate machinery to farmers
• Develop linkage with financial institutes

If you are an agricultural machinery or machinery parts manufacturer and would like to explore the potential partnership with the CSISA-MEA project, we are delighted to ask you to submit a formal expression of interest by completing and returning the documents listed in this EOI. You may download both English and Bangla versions (links below) of this EOI or ask for a printed copy by calling the following phone number.

To collect a printed copy, call: 01623460950 (Cox’s Bazar)

Further guidance on the submission in the EoI documents is below:

Bangla (PDF, Word) | English (PDF, Word)

Deadline for submission: 25 October 2021, 5:00 pm (Bangladesh time)

EOI বিজ্ঞপ্তি

কৃষি যন্ত্র ও স্পেয়ার পার্টস উৎপাদকদের জন্য সিরিয়াল সিস্টেমস ইনিশিয়িটিভ ফর সাউথ এশিয়া মেকানাইজেশন এক্সটেনশন একটিভিটি ( সিসা-এমইএ)এর সাথে পার্টনারশিপে কাজ করার আহবানের (EOI) বিজ্ঞপ্তি

সিসা-এমইএ প্রকল্পের পক্ষ থেকে শুভেচ্ছা।

স্থানীয়ভাবে তৈরিকৃত কৃষিজ পণ্যের উৎপাদন, সন্নিবেশন (এসেম্বলিং), ব্যবহার, সার্ভিসিং এর দক্ষতা বৃদ্ধি, মানসম্মত পণ্য তৈরির চর্চা বাড়ানো, কর্মক্ষেত্রের পরিবেশ উন্নতকরণ ও পণ্যের বাজার ব্যবস্থা কে শক্তিশালী করার লক্ষ্যে সিরিয়াল সিস্টেমস ইনিশিয়েটিভ ফর সাউথ এশিয়া মেকানাইজেশন এক্সটেনশন অ্যাক্টিভিটি (সিসা-এমইএ) প্রকল্পটি সিমিট,, ইউএসএআইডি-এর অর্থায়নে আইডিই, এবং জর্জিয়া ইনস্টিটিউট অফ টেকনোলজির সহযোগিতায় বাস্তবায়ন করছে।

সিসা-এমইএ নিম্নলিখিত ক্ষেত্রে মেশিন বা যন্ত্রাংশ প্রস্তুতকারকদের সাথে পার্টনারশিপে কাজ করার সন্ধান করছে:

●  খুচরা যন্ত্রাংশ উৎপাদক এবং মেকানিক শপ

●  উৎপাদকদের জন্য মানসম্মত কাঁচামাল সরবরাহ নিশ্চিত করা

●  কৃষি উৎপাদনের জন্য প্রয়োজনীয় যন্ত্র, ফসল কাটার যন্ত্র ও ফসল কাটার পর প্রস্তুতকরনে প্রয়োজনীয় যন্ত্র সামগ্রীর সন্নিবেশনে (এসেম্বলিং) এ সহায়তা দেয়া

●  নারী এবং যুব কর্মীসহ আপনার কর্মীদের প্রযুক্তিগত দক্ষতা বৃদ্ধি করা

●  কৃষকদের উপযুক্ত যন্ত্রপাতি বিক্রির জন্য নতুন ব্যবসায়িক মডেলগুলির বিকাশ ঘটানো

●  আর্থিক প্রতিষ্ঠানের সাথে সংযোগ স্থাপন

আপনি যদি কোনও কৃষি মেশিন বা যন্ত্রপাতি যন্ত্রাংশ প্রস্তুতকারক হয়ে থাকেন এবং সিসা-এমইএ প্রকল্পের সাথে পার্টনারশিপে কাজ করতে চান তবে এই বিজ্ঞপ্তির তালিকাভুক্ত কাগজাদি পূরণ করে আমাদের নিকট পাঠিয়ে দিলে আমরা বাধিত থাকব। EOI এর ইংরেজী এবং বাংলা উভয় সংস্করণ সংযুক্ত আছে, আপনি যে কোনও সংস্করণ পূরণ করতে পারেন। নিম্নে উল্লেখিত ফোন নাম্বারে কল করে EOI এর বিজ্ঞপ্তির লিঙ্কটিও জেনে নিতে পারেন।

প্রিন্ট কপি সংগ্রহের জন্য কল করুনঃ 01623460950 (কক্সবাজার)

জমা দেয়ার শেষ দিন ২৫শে অক্টোবর ২০২১, বিকাল ৫ টা।

Across Nepal, COVID-19 pandemic cases were at an all-time high and predicted to double each week; quarantine facilities and hospitals were full. COVID-19 cases are no longer confined to urban areas, but rural areas and highly remote villages, including the farm households in the Feed the Future Zone of Influence in the Terai. COVID-19 adds additional uncertainties to existing climate stresses and risks, and makes rural families the most vulnerable, being under additional financial pressure to meet their basic needs.

More than 3.5 million Nepalis are estimated to work abroad, many in India. However, now an average of 4,000 people have been returning from India and elsewhere into the western districts of Nepal each day. The return migrants are predominantly laborers who have lost their jobs. With an increased number of young men looking for job opportunities, the Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia (CSISA) is now implementing a buy-in project that develops mechanisms to support longer-term resilience among smallholder farmers and the private sector — with emphasis on empowering youth and overcoming challenges faced by rural families in Nepal.

Read the full article in Agrilinks.

USAID-supported studies in Nepal, conducted by the Gender, Climate Change and Nutrition Integration Initiative (GCAN) and the Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia (CSISA), find that around one-third of farmers (34% male and 29% female) reported unavailability of their regular sources of agricultural extension information since COVID-19-related lockdown was first announced in the country. Prior to the lockdown, agricultural input retailers were the most important source of information for farmers, including both male and female farmers (Figure 1). More than twice the proportion of men relied on government extension agents or officials from Agriculture Knowledge Centers (AKC) compared to women. Such gender-based differences further reiterate that female farmers have limited access to formal sources of extension (AKC) compared to men. However, the lockdown — which is being eased considerably — has nonetheless resulted in changes with respect to information access for both male and female farmers (Figure 1). Information sources that involved in-person interactions, such as agricultural input dealers and meetings convened by self-help groups, cooperatives, and other farmer groups, have seen a decline during the lockdown. At the same time, an increasing proportion of farmers have been noted to depend on their own knowledge gained from experience (traditional knowledge) and information from family members or neighbors during this period. Overall, a considerably higher proportion of men, as compared to women, continue to utilize government sources, mass media, and field trainings for agricultural information, despite the lockdown.

Read the full article in Agrilinks.

In Nepal, agriculture contributes to a third of gross domestic product and employs about 80% of the rural labor force. The rural population is comprised mostly of smallholder farmers whose level of income from agricultural production is low by international standards and the country’s agricultural sector has become vulnerable to erratic monsoon rains. Farmers often experience unreliable rainfall and droughts that threaten their crop yields and are not resilient to climate change and water-induced hazard. This requires a rapid update of the sustainable irrigation development in Nepal. The Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia (CSISA) Nepal COVID Response and Resilience short-term project puts emphasis on identifying and prioritizing entry points to build more efficient, reliable and flexible water services to farmers by providing a fundamental irrigation development assessment and framework at local, district and provincial levels.

Read the full article in Agrilinks

Every year, the spores of the wheat blast fungus lie in wait on South American and Bangladeshi farms. In most years, the pathogen has only a small impact on the countries’ wheat crops. But, the disease spreads quickly, and when the conditions are right, there’s a risk of a large outbreak — which can pose a serious threat to the food security and livelihood of farmers in a specific year.

To minimize this risk, an international partnership of researchers and organizations have created the wheat blast Early Warning System (EWS), a digital platform that notifies farmers and officials when weather conditions are ideal for the fungus to spread. The team is introducing the technology to Brazil. Wheat blast was originally discovered in the country in 1985.

Read the full article in Agrilinks

Expression of interest for agricultural machinery and spare parts manufacturing in partnership with the Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia Mechanization Extension Activity (CSISA-MEA)

CIMMYT, iDE, and Georgia Institute of Technology are partnering in the USAID-funded Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia Mechanization Extension Activity (CSISA-MEA) to increase the productivity, competitiveness and efficiency of domestic agricultural machinery manufacturing, assembly, use, and servicing through building manufacturing capacity, improving the quality of manufacturing practices, increasing workplace safety, and strengthening agriculture mechanization market systems.

CSISA-MEA is looking to form partnerships with the machinery or parts manufacturers in the following areas:

• Spare parts manufacture
• Assisting manufacturers to access quality raw materials
• Assisting in improving the assembly process for the agricultural, post-harvest, and processing machineries
• Enhancing technical skills of your staff, including women and youth
• Development of new business models for sales of appropriate machinery to farmers

If you are an agricultural machinery or machinery parts manufacturer and would like to explore the potential partnership with the CSISA-MEA project, we are delighted to ask you to submit a formal expression of interest by completing and returning the documents listed in the EOI. You may download both English and Bangla versions (links below) of this EOI or ask for a printed copy by calling the following phone number.

To collect a printed copy, call: 01715404050 (Jashore), 01711430678 (Bogura), 01711430678 (Faridpur)

Further guidance on the submission in the EoI documents below:

Bangla (PDF, Word) | English (PDF, Word)

Deadline for submission: 15 May 2021, 5:00 pm (Bangladesh time)

EOI বিজ্ঞপ্তি

কৃষি যন্ত্র ও স্পেয়ার পার্টস উৎপাদকদের জন্য সিরিয়াল সিস্টেমস ইনিশিয়িটিভ ফর সাউথ এশিয়া মেকানাইজেশন এক্সটেনশন একটিভিটি ( সিসা-এমইএ)এর সাথে পার্টনারশিপে কাজ করার আহবানের (EOI) বিজ্ঞপ্তি

সিসা-এমইএ প্রকল্পের পক্ষ থেকে শুভেচ্ছা।

স্থানিয়ভাবে তৈরিকৃত কৃষিজ পণ্যের উৎপাদন, সন্নিবেশন (এসেম্বলিং), ব্যবহার, সার্ভিসিং এর দক্ষতা বৃদ্ধি, মানসম্মত পণ্য তৈরির চর্চা বাড়ানো, কর্মক্ষেত্রের পরিবেশ উন্নতকরণ ও পণ্যের বাজার ব্যবস্থা কে শক্তিশালী করার লক্ষ্যে সিমিট, আইডিই, এবং জর্জিয়া ইনস্টিটিউট অফ টেকনোলজি ইউএসএআইডি-এর অর্থায়নে সিরিয়াল সিস্টেমস ইনিশিয়েটিভ ফর সাউথ এশিয়া মেকানাইজেশন এক্সটেনশন অ্যাক্টিভিটি (সিসা-এমইএ) প্রকল্পের মাধ্যমে কাজ করছে।

সিসা-এমইএ নিম্নলিখিত ক্ষেত্রে মেশিন বা যন্ত্রাংশ প্রস্তুতকারকদের সাথে পার্টনারশিপে কাজ করার সন্ধান করছে:

● খুচরা যন্ত্রাংশ উত্পাদক
● উৎপাদকদের জন্য মানসম্মত কাঁচামাল সরবরাহ নিশ্চিত করা
● কৃষি উৎপাদনের জন্য প্রয়োজনীয় যন্ত্র, ফসল কাটার যন্ত্র ও ফসল কাটার পর প্রস্তুতকরনে প্রয়োজনীয় যন্ত্র সামগ্রীর সন্নিবেশনে ( এসেম্বলিং ) এ সহায়তা দেয়া
● নারী এবং যুব কর্মীসহ আপনার কর্মীদের প্রযুক্তিগত দক্ষতা বৃদ্ধি করা
● কৃষকদের উপযুক্ত যন্ত্রপাতি বিক্রির জন্য নতুন ব্যবসায়িক মডেলগুলির বিকাশ ঘটানো

আপনি যদি কোনও কৃষি মেশিন বা যন্ত্রপাতি যন্ত্রাংশ প্রস্তুতকারক হয়ে থাকেন এবং সিসা-এমইএ প্রকল্পের সাথে পার্টনারশিপে কাজ করতে চান তবে এই বিজ্ঞপ্তির তালিকাভুক্ত কাগজাদি পূরণ করে আমাদের নিকট পাঠিয়ে দিলে আমরা বাধিত থাকব। EOI এর ইংরেজী এবং বাংলা উভয় সংস্করণ সংযুক্ত আছে, আপনি যে কোনও সংস্করণ পূরণ করতে পারেন। নিম্নে উল্লেখিত ফোন নাম্বারে কল করে EOI এর বিজ্ঞপ্তির লিঙ্কটিও জেনে নিতে পারেন।

প্রিন্ট কপি সংগ্রহের জন্য কল করুনঃ 01715404050 (যশোর) 01711430678 (বগুড়া), 01711430678 (ফরিদপুর

জমা দেয়ার শেষ দিন ১৫ মে, ২০২১, বিকাল ৫ টা।

Taken together, digital monitoring and readily available data on the status of groundwater resources provide a critical foundation for sustainable irrigation development. While much is known about surface water resources and hydrological and meteorological linkages between the Terai, Mid-Hills and Himalaya regions of the country, Nepal currently lacks a comprehensive system for groundwater resource monitoring.

To respond to this crucial information gap, the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) and International Water Management Institute (IWMI) are partnering with the Government of Nepal’s Groundwater Resources Development Board to conduct a pilot which will develop and test a potential groundwater monitoring system with the goal of identifying an approach which can be gradually scaled out after project completion.

Read the full article here.

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Once a world leading lentil producer, Nepal is now having to import them as farmers struggle with low productivity and warmer, wetter weather. This could have serious implications in a country where lentils provide an important source of protein, especially for poor families.

Read the full article here.

Groundwater irrigation plays a critical role in supporting food security, rural livelihoods and economic development in South Asia. However, in Eastern Indo-Gangetic Plains (EIGP) region (including Nepal, Bangladesh and Eastern India) many farmers lack access to affordable groundwater supply. Inability to fully exploit available groundwater resources contributes to the vulnerability of smallholder farmers to monsoon variability and dry spells, leading to crop failures and chronic low agricultural productivity in the region. To tackle this challenge, the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) and the University of Manchester are working together to address the root causes of inefficiencies within existing groundwater irrigation systems and develop systematic solutions to support irrigation intensification and climate change adaptation.

Read the full Agrilinks article here.

Farmers are turning to two-wheeled tractor-mounted reaper-harvesters to make up for the lack of farm labor caused by a significant number of rural Nepalese — especially men and youth — migrating out in search of employment opportunities.

Over 4,000 mechanized reapers have been sold in Nepal with more than 50 percent in far and mid-west Nepal since researchers first introduced the technology five years ago. The successful adoption — which is now led by agricultural machinery dealers that were established or improved with CSISA’s support — has led nearly 24,000 farmers to have regular access to affordable crop harvesting services, said CIMMYT agricultural economist Gokul Paudel.

Read the full article in Agrilinks

CSISA project suggests pathways to remove barriers inhibiting full use of groundwater irrigation infrastructure.

Inconsistent rainfall has repeatedly damaged paddy crops in Nepal over the last years, even though most agricultural lands are equipped with groundwater wells, contributing to missed national policy targets of food self-sufficiency and slow growth in cereal productivity. In a recently published article, Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia (CSISA) researchers explore the drivers of smallholder farmers’ underuse of groundwater wells to combat in-season drought during the monsoon rice season in Nepal’s breadbasket — the Terai.

The study finds that several barriers inhibit full use of the groundwater irrigation infrastructure and proposes support pathways based on existing technologies.

A key issue is farmers’ tendency to schedule irrigation very late in an effort to save the crops when in-season drought occurs. By this time, rice crops have already been damaged by lack of water and yields will be decreased. High irrigation costs, especially when pumping equipment is rented at monopolistic rental rates, are a major factor of this investment aversion. In addition, private irrigation is a relatively new technology for many farmers making productive water use decisions.

After deciding to irrigate, queuing for pumpsets, tubewells, and repairs and maintenance further increase irrigation delays. Some villages have only a handful of pumpsets or tubewells shared between all households, so it can take up to two weeks for everybody to irrigate.

CSISA provides three suggestions for three spatially nested support pathways to address these issues and support farmers in combatting monsoon season drought.

1. Raising awareness on the importance of timely irrigation

To avoid yield penalties and improve operational efficiency through better matched pumpsets, CSISA has raised awareness through agricultural FM radio broadcasts on the strong relationship between water stress and yield penalties. Messages highlight the function of the plough pan to keep infiltration rates low and encourage farmers to improve irrigation scheduling. Anecdotal evidence suggests that improved pump selection may decrease irrigation cost by up to 50%, and CSISA has initiated follow-up studies to develop recommendations for farmers.

In addition, timely irrigation often requires social interaction in purchasing fuel, transporting and installing pumps or shared use of irrigation equipment. These activities pose risks of COVID-19 exposure and transmission and therefore require farmers to follow safety and hygiene practices, which may cause further delays to irrigation. Raising awareness about the importance of timely irrigation therefore needs to go hand in hand with safe and hygienic irrigation practices. This information has been streamlined into the CSISA ongoing partnerships and FM broadcasts

2. Improving community-level water markets through increased focus on drought preparedness and overcoming liquidity constraints

Farmers can save time by taking an anticipatory approach to terms and conditions of rentals, instead of negotiating them when cracks in the soil are already large. Many pump renters also reported that pump owners are reluctant to rent out pumpsets if renters cannot pay up front. Given the seasonality of cash flows in agricultural, pro-poor and low interest credit provisions are likely to further smoothen community-level water markets.

3. Regional investment prioritization

Selectively targeting support and promotion programs in areas experiencing delays in access to pumpsets and groundwater wells can help farmers in combating monsoon season droughts.

Furthermore, the study shows that these delay factors differ across districts and that selectively targeted interventions will be most useful to provide high returns to investments. For example, farmers in Kailali reported that land access issues due to use of large bullock carts to transport pumpsets and fuel shortages constitute a barrier for 10% and 39% of the farmers, while in Rupandehi maintenance and tubewell availability were reported to be of greater importance.

As drought is increasingly threatening paddy production in Nepal’s Terai region, CSISA’s research shows that several support pathways exist to support farmers in combatting droughts. Sustainable water use can only be brought up to a scale where it benefits most farmers if all available tools including electrification, solar pumps and improved water level monitoring are deployed to provide benefits to a wide range of farmers.

Read the full article in Water International:

Anton Urfels, Andrew J. McDonald, Timothy J. Krupnik & Pieter R. van Oel (2020) Drivers of groundwater utilization in water-limited rice production systems in Nepal, Water International, 45:1, 39-59, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02508060.2019.1708172