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, ...

Terai women in a rice field 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 ...

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 ...

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.