How sustainable practices helping livestock farmers in Nepal

Goat farming in Jamuna Char. Wikimedia Commons.

I wanted to suggest a story idea exploring how a shift from traditional extensive grazing to sustainable livestock production is helping smallholder farmers in Nepal improve productivity, environmental impacts and resilience to climate risks.

Nepal is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change and has already experienced changes in temperature and precipitation. As a result, millions of Nepalese farmers are experiencing reductions in agricultural productivity, food and water security, forest products, and agro-biodiversity. Their livelihoods are increasingly at risk, especially for livestock farmers who contribute up to 26% of agricultural GDP accounting for food, fiber, power, fertiliser, fuel and transportation.

To address these challenges, Heifer International has supported sustainable livestock practices among goat farming cooperatives in Nepal, reaching 300,000 smallholder farmers, with 95% being women. The program encouraged sustainable farming practices, such as transitioning to cultivated fodder covering 16,000 hectares of land and has recorded up to 98% reduced water and land use intensity and 91% reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. 

Furthermore, adopting sustainable practices such as using improved breeds has increased productivity by 40% for goat farmers in the country, with offtake rates doubling and leading to a 14% rise in their income.

I thought this might be of interest to you, particularly because it is an example of the climate resilience and emission reductions that make up the key focus of the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29).

Would you like to speak with Neena Joshi, the Senior Vice President of Asia Programs at Heifer International, and/or Tirtha Raj Regmi, the Director of Programs in Nepal, about how ensuring the continuous widespread adoption of sustainable practices in Nepal could significantly enhance smallholder farmers’ resilience against rising climate risks?

Please let me know if you have any questions for Neena and Tirtha and if I can help with any further information. 

M K Eyinfunjowo, Junior Associate