The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) today announced the expansion to Nepal of two successful Indian agricultural programs that promote food security and economic growth.

Under a partnership between USAID/Nepal and USAID/India, Nepali smallholder farmers’ access to mechanized farming technologies—such as low-cost attachments to tractors that increase farmers’ agricultural yields and income—will increase.  This partnership will also strengthen Nepal’s Agriculture and Forestry University and ensure that its curriculum focuses on the needs of farmers and agricultural markets.

Since 2010, USAID, under the Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia (CSISA) program, has partnered with several Indian private sector firms to develop agricultural equipment that is now extensively used by farmers in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Odisha. The CSISA program will now work with Nepali public and private institutions to extend these low-cost innovations to Nepal to help improve cropping systems.  USAID will support the Nepali private sector to develop cutting-edge technologies suitable to the country’s mountainous geography. This program will also help generate employment and income by training local mechanics to repair and maintain the equipment.

Under the second program announced today, USAID will fund and support the Agriculture and Forestry University to identify research areas and develop curricula to help agriculture students better contribute to Nepal’s rural development and economic growth. The program with the Agriculture and Forestry University is based on a similar program conducted in India since 2010. Known as the Agricultural Innovation Partnership, it helped three leading Indian universities adopt innovative agricultural education curricula, extension management and research initiatives.  In Nepal, the program will transfer lessons learned from Indian universities to assist the Agriculture and Forestry University in better promoting the Nepali agriculture sector.