The Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia (CSISA), is a regional initiative to increase the productivity of cereal-based cropping systems and help improve food security and farmer livelihoods in Bangladesh, India, and Nepal. The project is supported by The Feed the Future for Global Hunger and the Food Security Initiative under the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Nepal.  It is implemented by CIMMYT in collaboration with iDE Nepal, International Water Management Institute (IWMI), Cornell University, Texas A&M University and it aligns with Transforming Agrifood Systems in South Asia (TAFSSA) Activity. TAFSSA is One CGIAR regional integrated initiative to support actions that improve equitable access to sustainable healthy diets, improve farmers’ livelihoods and resilience, and conserve land, air, and water resources in South Asia.The farming households in the Feed the Future Zone in the Terai region (plain land, mainly low mid-hills of Nepal), are coping with climatic challenges such as variable rainfall, drought and heat stress, which limit the productivity of their farming systems. The COVID-19 pandemic in the year 2021 further marginalized smallholder farmers, particularly women and farmers from disadvantaged communities.

CSISA works with public and private partners to increase the adoption of improved agricultural practices, farm mechanization and promotion of agri-businesses. ‘Success Stories of Agricultural Entrepreneurs’ is a selected collection of real-life narratives of farmers about their challenges and successes. In this edition, we would like to share stories from the Surkhet district in the below: