The need to revisit agricultural policies to promote mixed farming systems in Nepal’s mid-hills

Neupane, N.; Shakya, S.; Khadka, Manohara; Koirala, Sanju; KC, Jibesh

The need to revisit agricultural policies to promote mixed farming systems in Nepal’s mid-hills

Autores

Editor

International Water Management Institute

Descripción

This technical brief examines the importance of mixed farming systems (MFS) in Nepal’s mid-hills and mountain regions and evaluates how well national, provincial, and local agricultural policies support these systems. MFS—integrating crops, livestock, forests, and household activities—form the backbone of Nepalese agriculture and are practiced by most small and marginal farmers to ensure food security and livelihoods. Although agriculture employs over 60 percent of the labor force, it contributes only about one-quarter of national GDP, reflecting persistent challenges such as subsistence-oriented production, land fragmentation, climate vulnerability, and limited market access. The report highlights that MFS play a critical role in improving food and nutritional security, diversifying incomes, enhancing soil fertility, and building climate resilience, while contributing to several Sustainable Development Goals. However, these systems are increasingly threatened by climate change, labor outmigration, declining livestock numbers, land abandonment, and weak institutional support. Despite the relevance of systems thinking—which emphasizes interactions among crops, livestock, water, forests, markets, and institutions—it remains largely absent from agricultural planning in Nepal. The policy analysis finds that Nepal lacks an official definition and coherent framework for MFS. Agricultural policies across all three levels of government remain fragmented and sector-specific, with a strong bias toward commercialization and mono-cropping. This approach often overlooks subsistence farmers, women, and marginalized groups, and weakly integrates key MFS components such as fodder, manure management, and market linkages. The report concludes that embedding systems thinking into agricultural policy is essential. It recommends defining MFS formally, developing integrated policy frameworks, improving market infrastructure, promoting gender-responsive programs, and investing in context-specific research and innovation.