Kathmandu, May 9:
Heifer International
Nepal has launched a new project to raise the income of smallholder farmers.
The Us $ 25.6 million project,
'Strengthening smallholder enterprises of livestock value chain (SLVC II)',
launched on Wednesday, will be implemented in 31 districts of six provinces in
the country with a goal to improve the livelihood and increase the annual
income of 125,000 farmers by 72 per cent.
"The project aims
at increasing the annual income of those smallholder farmers from Rs. 390,000
to Rs. 557,000 within three years, or by 2021," said Dr. Subh Narayan
Mahato, Heifer's Country Director for Nepal.
He said that the
project will additionally benefit 350,000 families indirectly through access to
production inputs and market.
According to Heifer's
Director of Programmes Neena Joshi, the project focuses on dairy and meat goat
value chain by connecting smallholder producers to the consumers.
"It aims to bring
milk products and goat meat from the farm gate to the dinner plate in an
efficient manner," she said.
The project will also
support in introducing new technologies.
The new technology,
along with increased access to other business development services – finance,
market, input supply, technical services and insurance – will increase
productivity, efficiency and thereby increase farm profitability, said Joshi.
"The SLVC II
capitalises on the gains made by SLVC I and demonstrates the synergistic
relationship between social capital development and market engagement,"
she said.
SLVC II will work to
strengthen rural women cooperatives to become financially viable and
sustainable entities and enhance the capacity of producers groups to link with
appropriate market buyer and ensure fair prices.
Joshi also stated that
the new programme would help achieve 7 out of 17 Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs) – no poverty, zero hunger, gender equality, decent work and economic
growth, climate action, peace, justice and strong institutions, and partnership
for the goals.
Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 10 May 2018.
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