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World Agroforestry (ICRAF) is strengthening its partnership with the Government of Nepal to support the country in building an integrated and well-coordinated programme on agroforestry. The ultimate aim of the collaboration is to help the Himalayan country tackle persistent problems such as malnutrition, poverty, and low overall farm productivity. Nepal is endowed with an abundance of two key natural resources, forests and fresh water, yet, paradoxically, it is one of the world’s least developed nations.

Agroforestry in Nepal is fragmented and its potential to alleviate poverty and food shortages remains unexploited. This offers opportunities for ICRAF to make a quick impact, as some of its technologies developed and tested, and long experience gained, elsewhere in South Asia could well work in Nepal, too. What is needed is an integrated, carefully designed, and well-coordinated program to promote agroforestry in Nepal. The Ministry of Agriculture supported ICRAF to hold a consultation workshop in March 2015 in Kathmandu. The workshop brought together representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Forest, civil society organizations, and other stakeholders to brainstorm ICRAF’s thoughts to initiate the development of a National Agroforestry Policy of Nepal, guided by the mechanisms and approaches used, and experience gained, in the development of India’s National Agroforestry Policy. The workshop resulted in the formulation of the Kathmandu Declaration, which opened the way for the formulation of Agroforestry policy for the country.

ICRAF worked in Nepal with the Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Forest to develop the National Agroforestry Policy of Nepal, released in 2019.

ICRAF is proud of its achievements in Nepal: