Agriculture In Nepal
Agriculture is the production of food or other materials by farming, both by planting crops and keeping animals. Agriculture provides food for people and animals as well as raw materials for industries. Agricultural products are also goods of trade and business as well as important export items. Nepal is predominantly an agricultural country where farming is the main economic activity. Still today it's a pillar of Nepalese economy. It provides jobs for more than 60 % of population and supports about 40 % of the national economy. Nepal's diverse climate and soil type is uniquely suitable for various types of crops and animal species. Grasslands and meadows of the hills and mountains are ideal for cattle rearing.
However, labour-based subsistence nature and lower productivity are still the major characteristics of Nepalese agriculture. We have not been able to improve our agriculture for various reasons. Most Nepalese farmers are not properly skilled in the methods of modern agriculture. They are just traditional subsistence farmers who are heavily indebted and cannot afford new technology and machinery.
Crops and grains are destroyed by weeds, pests and insects. Animals also don't yield well as they frequently suffer from diseases. Hardly about 20 % of the total landunder cultivation (17 % of the country's territory) has good irrigation facilities. In winter, much of the farmland remains unused due to lack of irrigation while in monsoon, landslides and floods triggered by excessive rain inundates much cropland. Soil
fertility is deteriorating due to over exploitation and application of excess chemicals.Poor transport and storage facilities are other challenges of Nepalese agriculture. Due to lack of transport facilities our agro products have no easy access to markets. When storage facilities are not available agricultural goods flood in the markets at once.and have to be sold cheap. It is also difficult to make supply of agro-tools, chemical fertilizers, medicines and improved seeds due to lack of good transport network.
Besides, land distribution in the country is not scientific and democratic. Many of those actual farmers who till the land don't own any arable land whereas those who don't even tread on it hoard huge blocks of land and keep it uncultivated. More recently fertile valleys and plains are being increasingly occupied by settlements and industries. Over fragmentation of agricultural land also results in poorer yield. At the same time, agriculture is overburdened by heavy manpower due to over population and lack of alternative occupations. There have not been enough researches and experiments to find the best crops and best climate and soil type either.
One of the most important methods of developing our country is the modernization of its agriculture. Therefore we must try to improve our agriculture in all possible ways. Very importantly, the farmers should be educated on modern methods of farming. Farm works should be mechanized and specialized as far as possible. Application of improved irrigation system, seeds and fertilizers, trained manpower, modern tools, etc. can help increase the production. At the same time, the available agricultural land should be protected and distributed in a scientific and democratic ways so that the real farmers own farmland. Facilities of transport, irrigation, storage, etc. should be improved.
More and more agro based industries should be established so that agricultural products
get better market. We should also carry out researches to find out the best species for different climate and soil conditions of the country. For all this the government should launch a very effective agricultural policy.
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