https://agrospectrumasia.com/rssfeed/country/nepal nepal https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/94/2082/three-day-global-science-policy-forum-socially-inclusive-solar-irrigation-systems.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/94/2082/three-day-global-science-policy-forum-socially-inclusive-solar-irrigation-systems.html Fri, 26 Apr 2024 11:18:48 +0530 Project titled Solar Irrigation for Agricultural Resilience in South Asia (SoLAR- SA) Three-day Global Science-Policy Forum on Socially Inclusive Irrigation Systems is being organised by International Water Management Institute (IWMI) and its partners International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), International Solar Alliance (ISA), Alternative Energy Promotion Centre ( AEPC), as a part of Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) funded project titled Solar Irrigation for Agricultural Resilience in South Asia (SoLAR- SA). The conference is taking place at Hotel Himalaya, Kathmandu from 24 April to 26 April. This forum has brought around 150 key stakeholders from across the world to discuss the growing body of work and evidence in South Asia on solar applications in agriculture, particularly bringing together key experiences, insights and promotion of south-south collaboration and scaling up of global ambitions around effective and sustainable use of solar energy in agriculture. The Global forum was inaugurated by the Hon’ble Minister Mr. Shakti Bahadur Basnet, Ministry of Energy, Water Resource and Irrigation, Nepal. “Pressing challenge of climate change calls for a need for climate mitigation awareness to end our dependence on fossil fuels and move towards clean and renewable energy. There is a need for low carbon methods like solar irrigation. Also, the 2023 National Policy aims for economic prosperity climate adaptive irrigation including solar irrigation,” said the Hon’ble Minister. “Co-creation of knowledge with local governments and local stakeholders to promote inclusivity of solar irrigation projects. This will bridge the gap between science and policy. Women and socio-economically disadvantaged farmers must be at the centre of planning,” Mr Keshab Kumar Sharma, Secretary, Water and Energy Commission Secretariat, Nepal. Dr. Manohara Khadka, Country Representative, IWMI Nepal, highlighted the benefits of Solar Irrigation for women farmers, “Solar irrigation can support women farmer’s climate resilience capacity and must be inclusive and sustainable.” “Out of 449 billion cubic metre groundwater resource, 242 billion cubic metre is extracted annually which is 59% of the resource in India” stated Dr. Sunil Kumar Ambast, Chairman, Central Ground Water Board, Government of India. “Hence, progressive interventions need to ensure livelihood stability and sustainability.” Her Excellency Dr. Danielle Meuwly, Ambassador of Switzerland to Nepal, Embassy of Switzerland, highlighed “Innovative technology is the solution to the challenges we face. Research to policy should be the aim of the global forum, hence this south-south knowledge exchange will raise important policy questions.” “Solarization in addition to Hydropower development in Pakistan is of utmost importance to have the capacity to compete with the rest of the world's economy “, stated Engr. Asghar Ali Halepoto, Chief, Water Resource Section, Ministry of Planning, Development & Special Initiatives, Government of Pakistan. Ms. Munira Sultana, Chairman, SREDA, Govt. Of Bangladesh, highlighted the importance of Solar Irrigation for South Asia, says “Grid connected Solar Irrigation Pumps ( SIPs) will create electricity surplus relieving the Government’s pressure to provide electricity. Solar irrigation is very important for the South Asia.” Her Excellency Dr. Danielle Meuwly, Ambassador of Switzerland to Nepal, Embassy of Switzerland, highlighed “Innovative technology is the solution to the challenges we face. Research to policy should be the aim of the global forum, hence this south-south knowledge exchange will raise important policy questions.” “Solarization in addition to Hydropower development in Pakistan is of utmost importance to have the capacity to compete with the rest of the world's economy “, stated Engr. Asghar Ali Halepoto, Chief, Water Resource Section, Ministry of Planning, Development & Special Initiatives, Government of Pakistan. Ms. Munira Sultana, Chairman, SREDA, Govt. Of Bangladesh, highlighted the importance of Solar Irrigation for South Asia, says “Grid connected Solar Irrigation Pumps ( SIPs) will create electricity surplus relieving the Government’s pressure to provide electricity. Solar irrigation is very important for the South Asia.” Dr. Darshini Ravindranath, Project Lead-SoLAR, IWMI, stated“Needs and preferences of small marginalised and women farmers need to be considered for better project outcomes. This forum will highlight findings of our work and share south-south collaborative ideas to develop a roadmap for SIP policy and implementation.” Dr. Pema Gyamtsho, Director General, ICIMOD highlighted the importance of strategic interventions and investment inflow to pilot successful initiatives and enhance agricultural productivity. He says, “ICIMOD emphasizes the urgent need for modernizing agriculture and implementing solar water systems to ensure food security in the face of climate change challenges.” The Global forum explored various plenary and parallel sessions with presentations and diverse panels under four key thematic areas such as groundwater sustainability, adaptation and mitigation, business models of SIPs and scaling up of solar irrigation, the role of communities: capacity building and gender, equity and social inclusion and designing effective and inclusive policies for solar energy transitions. The Global forum explored various plenary and parallel sessions with presentations and diverse panels under four key thematic areas such as groundwater sustainability, adaptation and mitigation, business models of SIPs and scaling up of solar irrigation, the role of communities: capacity building and gender, equity and social inclusion and designing effective and inclusive policies for solar energy transitions.It presented unique insights on the effectiveness of solar irrigation as a strategy to sustainably manage water, energy, food, and climate (mitigation and adaptation) interlinkages. It highlighted how governments are using evidence from the field to develop and deploy ambitious policies and programs on solar irrigation to address nationally determined contributions (NDC) commitments while supporting climate-resilient, gender-equitable, and socially inclusive agrarian livelihoods. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/94/1853/heifer-international-and-fruitpunch-ai-promotes-data-access-for-women-farmers-in-nepal.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/94/1853/heifer-international-and-fruitpunch-ai-promotes-data-access-for-women-farmers-in-nepal.html Mon, 19 Feb 2024 07:17:42 +0530 Launches Artificial Intelligence Challenge in Nepal Global development organization Heifer International and FruitPunch AI, the global community educating and applying Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Good, launched the AI for Women Farmers Challenge — a project to develop AI tools to help rural women farmers in Nepal leverage data to improve their livelihoods. The project aims to help women-run agricultural cooperatives extract and translate their own data on financial, business and other activities, which the co-op members can then use to improve their access to markets, financing, product traceability platforms and more. The AI for Women Farmers Challenge will use FruitPunch AI's trailblazing method of recruiting highly skilled volunteers from the AI for Good community to solve a specific problem in support of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals over the course of a focused 10-week technical collaboration. In Heifer International's decadeslong work supporting women smallholders in Nepal, a key vehicle for economic and social empowerment is the organization of agricultural cooperatives, which provide technical, production and financial services to their member farmers. However, a digital divide prevents farmer cooperatives from easily using and benefiting from their own data as most information, such as sales, loan and production records, is stored on paper ledgers, out of reach of the digital ecosystem. "This Challenge represents a significant milestone with immediate benefits for rural women entrepreneurs," said Antoinette Marie, director of Heifer Labs, a digital technology unit within Heifer International that collaborates with country programs to co-create technology interventions that deliver farmer value and accelerate Heifer's organizational goals. "By empowering them with digitized versions of their own data, we're boosting their market presence, optimizing their business processes, and strengthening their ability to secure essential growth capital." The Challenge will use AI Optical Character Recognition (OCR) models to extract, digitize and translate Nepali handwritten and typeset text from photos and scans of existing paper records. Bridging the digital divide in this way will enable farmers to easily search, analyze and obtain insights from various types of existing records, such as financial, cooperative capacity, livestock breeding and agricultural production.  The Challenge will have two phases: The first will tackle Nepali data extraction and translation via AI OCR models, which will enable search and analysis of different types of paper records. A second follow-on Challenge will create data structures from these results, focused on a specific use case, such as financial data to stimulate formal lending to farmers.  FruitPunch AI volunteers involved in the Challenge will build on their existing programming, data and AI skills, while being mentored by experts to become a certified AI for Good Engineer. At the same time, they will deliver immediate impact to women smallholders in Nepal by helping them receive value from their own data. "By joining forces with Heifer Labs, we will be able to educate AI engineers with sustainable AI skills while helping women-run farms reach the digital economy and grow their businesses," said Sako Arts, CTO and founder of FruitPunch AI. Heifer International began operating in Nepal in 1997, working alongside local farmers to improve food security and reduce poverty by providing technical support to strengthen agricultural value chains, promoting environmentally friendly farming, and improving access to affordable inputs and services. To date, Heifer Nepal has supported over 400,000 families, organized into 277 agricultural cooperatives — all working under the Social Entrepreneur Women Alliance, an apex governing body led by progressive women farmers ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/94/1728/nepals-country-programming-framework-cpf-for-2023-2027-targets-ecosystem-restoration.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/94/1728/nepals-country-programming-framework-cpf-for-2023-2027-targets-ecosystem-restoration.html Tue, 16 Jan 2024 08:10:00 +0530 Nepal's first-ever Green Climate Fund (GCF) project aims to increase resilience and targets ecosystem restoration FAO Director-General QU Dongyu and Nepal’s Minister of Forests and Environment of the Federal Democratic Republic, Birendra Prasad Mahato, met during the Director-General’s visit to Kathmandu.  The Director-General noted that, as both a Least Developed Country and a Landlocked Developing Country, Nepal has tremendous geographic diversity that ranges from alluvial plains in the south to high Himalayan Mountains in the north. QU further stated that FAO is willing to support Nepal to achieve better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life, and to address the impacts of the climate crisis. The jointly launched Country Programming Framework (CPF) for 2023-2027 reflects Nepal’s key priorities, including sustainable natural resource management, climate resilience and disaster risk reduction. The delegates discussed implementation of the country’s first-ever Green Climate Fund (GCF) project for increasing resilience in the Churia Region, considered as a flagship project for the entire Asia-Pacific region. FAO will also supports Nepal with the implementation of the project aimed at ecosystem restoration, with a strong focus on forest ecosystems in the country’s Churia Region. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/94/1072/usaid-launches-5-million-agriculture-higher-education-activity-in-nepal.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/94/1072/usaid-launches-5-million-agriculture-higher-education-activity-in-nepal.html Fri, 16 Jun 2023 12:17:04 +0530 The initiative will foster new partnerships with local Nepali organisations to strengthen food security and economic development in the country Clinton White, USAID Agency Counselor unveiled a new Agriculture Higher Education initiative, worth up to $5 million. The five-year project, awarded to Tuskegee University in collaboration with Sathguru, Inc., aims to enhance the capacity of Nepal’s Agriculture and Forestry University (AFU) by bolstering research and teaching methodologies. With AFU’s current student population exceeding 1,800, this partnership with Tuskegee University, known for its expertise in agriculture and higher education, seeks to cultivate an entrepreneurial spirit among AFU students and contribute to Nepal’s agricultural transformation. The initiative will also foster new partnerships with local Nepali organisations to strengthen food security and economic development in the country. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/94/467/nepal-to-strengthen-the-seed-to-feed-chain.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/94/467/nepal-to-strengthen-the-seed-to-feed-chain.html Wed, 25 Jan 2023 15:01:06 +0530 CIMMYT scientists plan to double the number of districts under the maize commercialisation model from three to six in 2023. Experts at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT) are working with partners to drive self-sufficiency in poultry feed and achieve more sustainable maize systems in Nepal with the help of the Nepal Seed and Fertilizer (NSAF) project. About 3,000 metric tons of poultry feed is used in Nepal every day, with maize making up about half of feed ingredients. The Feed Association of Nepal estimates that more than 80 per cent of maize for animal feed requirements are met through imports, which costs around $100 million a year. Maize imports are estimated to exceed $130 million in 2022. Through the NSAF project — a project which facilitates sustainable increases in Nepal’s national crop productivity, income and household-level food and nutrition security across 20 districts — CIMMYT scientists have been supporting public-private partnerships to increase commercial maize production and strengthen the ‘seed to feed’ chain in the country. CIMMYT scientists plan to double the number of districts under the maize commercialisation model from three to six in 2023. The Department of Agriculture under the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, and the local and provincial governments are keen to scale out the model to several maize production regions of Nepal. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/94/454/dmcc-and-bsaf-collaborate-to-boost-agri-commodities-trade-with-south-asia.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/94/454/dmcc-and-bsaf-collaborate-to-boost-agri-commodities-trade-with-south-asia.html Mon, 23 Jan 2023 14:59:30 +0530 MoU to focus on FoodTech and AgriTech projects, business opportunities, and knowledge transfer through events. The world’s flagship free zone and Government of Dubai Authority on commodities trade and enterprise – and the Bharat Subcontinent Agri Foundation (BSAF) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) that will see the two entities collaborate to advance the global agricultural (agri) commodities sector between the UAE and South Asia. The agreement was signed by Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of DMCC, and Sudhakar Tomar, Chairman of BSAF, at the inaugural South Asia Agri Summit in Kathmandu, Nepal. Targeting the growth of the global agri commodities sector and solidifying agri trade ties between the UAE and the South Asian subcontinent – which includes India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal – the MoU will see DMCC and BSAF partner in FoodTech and AgriTech projects, share prospective business opportunities and enhance knowledge transfer through exhibitions and conferences. On the signing, Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of DMCC, said, “DMCC has a longstanding and proud track record doing business with South Asia. Today, we are home to over 4,250 members from the region covering agri and many other sectors. The timing of this MOU with BSAF is strategically very important as trade has soared between the UAE and South Asia in recent years and will only grow further with the signing of new CEPA agreements and food trade corridors, including the recent UAE-India CEPA.” Sudhakar Tomar, Chairman of BSAF, said, “We are delighted to partner with DMCC in building the next chapter of agri-food trade between South Asia and the UAE. This is a vibrant new partnership which will provide crucial knowledge sharing in the wider efforts to grow South Asia’s connectivity and enhance food security at the regional and global levels.” DMCC has a longstanding history of driving agri trade between South Asia and the UAE. With growing awareness of global food security issues, agri goods occupy an increasingly strategic role in DMCC’s commodities mix, which encompasses tea, coffee, soya, sugar, spices and many other agri commodities. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/94/180/iffco-cg-corp-launches-nano-urea-in-nepal.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/94/180/iffco-cg-corp-launches-nano-urea-in-nepal.html Mon, 14 Nov 2022 13:13:14 +0530 IFFCO CG Corp launched Nano urea in Nepal to boost crop cultivation and increase productivity. Former Union Minister of India Suresh Prabhu launched the product at an event in Kathmandu.  IFFCO’s Marketing Director Yogendra Kumar, Nirvan Choudhary, MD, CG Corp, Nepal were also present. IFFCO MD Dr U.S. Awasthi announced it on their official tweeter handle.   To make Nano urea available to the farmers in Nepal, IFFCO has tied up with the leading company C G Corp- a leading enterprise comprising over 160 companies and 123 brands in the global market with a strength of over 1500 employees. C G Corp is a company born and growing in Nepal with an aim to take Nepalese businesses to the world. Its bear recalling that Nano Urea has already made its mark in several foreign countries. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/94/138/boston-based-salient-predictions-unveils-suite-of-weather-metrics-for-agri-sector-2.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/94/138/boston-based-salient-predictions-unveils-suite-of-weather-metrics-for-agri-sector-2.html Fri, 14 Oct 2022 12:03:01 +0530 Salient Predictions, a Boston-based technology company that creates the world’s most accurate subseasonal-to-seasonal (S2S) weather forecasts and analytics, has announced the launch of a new suite of weather metrics which will provide agribusiness and food producers with data to make faster, smarter decisions. The company’s new agriculture metrics incorporate hyper-localised forecast data which is relevant to the agriculture sector. This data is based on Salient’s industry-leading ocean and land-surface forecasting technologies developed from decades of research at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and MIT. “Agriculture businesses are experiencing first-hand effects of our changing climate, having more accurate, long-term weather metrics that go far beyond what’s possible today gives a critical advantage for resource planning and preparedness in the face of increasing climate disruptions.” said Matt Stein, CEO of Salient. “These new and enhanced metrics enable agribusinesses to better anticipate the impacts of weather on their operations,” said Janet Lee, Chief Product Officer at Salient. The Metrics helps agribusinesses better anticipate the needs of their customers and proactively place the right products at the right time to maximize the benefits realized. ]]> https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/94/16/hester-biosciences-reports-net-profit-of-rs-3-56-cr-in-q1-fy23.html https://agrospectrumasia.com/news/94/16/hester-biosciences-reports-net-profit-of-rs-3-56-cr-in-q1-fy23.html Wed, 24 Aug 2022 17:53:25 +0530 Health Products sales constituted 34 per cent of the total sales in Q1 FY23, versus 20 per cent in Q1 FY22. One of the India’s leading poultry and animal vaccine manufacturing company, Hester Biosciences Limited has reported consolidated net profit of Rs. 3.56 crore and Revenue from Operations of Rs. 50.70 crore for the Q1FY23. Individually, the gross margins of the vaccines and the health products have been in line with the corresponding quarter, however, the overall margins have reduced due to the increase in the proportion of health products sales which have lower gross margins compared to vaccines. Health Products sales constituted 34 per cent of the total sales in Q1 FY23, versus 20 per cent in Q1 FY22. Highlights of Q1 FY23 On the vaccine side: The recent outbreak of Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) in certain parts of the country since July 2022 is expected to result in additional sales in Q2 FY23. The Company was a successful bidder in a government tender for PPR vaccine for sheep & goat, the supplies for which are likely to start from September 2022. Vaccine sales declined by 30 per cent in Q1 FY23 compared to the corresponding quarter, largely due to two reasons: The comparative period last year had hugely benefited from one-off sales on account of the then prevailing poultry disease outbreak. Our sales were near to a record high due to the outbreaks. The decline was in the sales of poultry vaccines in Q1 FY23. The poultry industry continued to face strong headwinds on account of increased cost of inputs (mainly feed) and pricing pressure on eggs and broiler birds. Consequent to severe margin pressure, the poultry industry sharply reduced new bird placements along-with initiatives towards input cost optimisation. Relative increase in marketing expenses in Q1 FY23 as against in Q1 FY22 which were significantly lower due to Covid travel restrictions (notwithstanding the higher sales in Q1 FY22 due to disease situation in poultry) Increased market development cost in Animal Health and Petcare Divisions on account of company’s continuous efforts in expansion activities. These are expected to moderate over next few quarters as growth in sales picks up in new territories. Petcare division The Company launched a new division for Petcare during Q1 with 10 products. Activities related to market development, field force establishment and product pipeline are ongoing. Petcare Division will emerge as a steady long term growth driver, given the increasing adoption of pets in the country. The Company is strengthening its new product vaccine pipeline by developing new vaccines like Classical Swine Fever (CSF), Sheep Pox and an improved version of Brucella vaccines. Bulk antigen production capacity expansion project is completed and trial runs are ongoing. Expansion of Fill-Finish line capacity is expected to be completed by Q4FY23. These 2 expansions will double the production capacity in vaccines. The recent notification by Government of India to allow the manufacture and sale of Avian Influenza Inactivated vaccine, H9N2 strain, will contribute to our sales from Q3. ]]>