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 ...

Lentil field at Banke district (Photo credit: Merit Maharjan, February 2020) 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 ...

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.

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