June 21, 2023, Kathmandu, Nepal – The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) and the Nepal Agriculture Research Council (NARC) have formalized a strategic partnership through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on the implementation of the KOICA-GGGI Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) project in Nepal’s Madhesh province as well as on CSA projects in other provinces of Nepal. This milestone agreement establishes a framework of cooperation between GGGI and NARC through which GGGI supports implementation of climate smart technologies developed by NARC aiming at enhancing agricultural productivity and coping with climate change impacts across different agro-ecological conditions in Nepal.
Under the MoU, GGGI’s role will be focused on identifying and prioritizing key issues in Nepal’s agriculture sector, in close collaboration with NARC. Through targeted training and demonstrations, GGGI will promote the adoption of NARC-developed technologies, empowering farmers to maximize their yields and profitability. Furthermore, GGGI will leverage its expertise to disseminate crucial agri-weather information developed by NARC to farmers, enabling them to make informed decisions. GGGI is committed to scaling up proven technologies recommended by NARC and exploring new sustainable business opportunities in alignment with the project’s objectives. NARC, as a leading government research institution in agricultural research in Nepal, will provide valuable technical support to GGGI in identifying gaps and prioritizing issues within the agriculture sector, ensuring research efforts are tailored to the specific needs of Nepal. NARC will conduct research on climate-smart technologies in areas of national interest, addressing the challenges due to climate change and aiming to increase farmers’ yields and profitability. By collaborating closely with NARC, GGGI will implement climate-resilient practices and integrate climate-smart technologies into agricultural systems, empowering farmers to adapt and thrive in the face of climate variability.
“This partnership between GGGI and NARC represents a significant step forward in our collective efforts to promote climate-smart agriculture and foster sustainable development in Nepal. By combining our expertise and resources, we aim to drive innovation, enhance agricultural productivity, and build climate resilience for farmers in the Madhesh and other provinces,” said Dr. Lasse Ringius, Country Representative, GGGI.
“This is a really a great initiative to address farmer-level impacts of climate change. Through this partnership, NARC shall be able to disseminate climate smart technologies developed by prominent scientists to enhance agriculture particularly and support farmers to cope with present climate change impacts such as drought and flood particularly in cereal and vegetables,” said Dr. Dhurba Raj Bhattarai, Acting Executive Director, NARC.
About the KOICA-GGGI Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) project
GGGI is implementing the Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) project in Madhesh province which aims to support widespread adoption of climate-smart agriculture to reduce vulnerability and improve food and job security, especially for women, youth and returned migrant workers in the Terai Flood Plain region. The project is funded by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and is implemented in close partnership with the Ministry of Land Management, Agriculture and Cooperatives (MoLMAC), Madhesh Province. More information about the project can be found here
About the Nepal Agricultural Research Council
Nepal Agricultural Research Council was established in 1991 as an autonomous organization under “Nepal Agricultural Research Council Act – 1991” to conduct agricultural research in the country to uplift the economic level of the people. NARC has altogether 62 offices across the country covering different agro-ecologies and all seven provinces of Nepal. Its head office is situated at Singhdarbar Plaza, Kathmandu. More information on NARC can be found on http://kms.narc.gov.np/