Symposium on Agriculture and Food Security

Symposium: Agriculture and Natural Resources for Food Security

Date: 14 October 2018

Time: 08:15-12:50

Hall: TBC

 
Agriculture has been the mainstay of Nepal’s economy as well as the main source of livelihoods for majority of people in the country from the time immemorial to date. Yet, the country has increasing dependence on the imports of food and agriculture inputs over time. Despite much emphasis put on agriculture development in the periodic plans for nearly half a century now, the capacity to achieve appropriate agricultural education, innovation of technology, multi-sectoral collaboration and investment required thereof have not been adequate to explore the vast potential of diverse agricultural resources in order to secure sufficient, safe and healthy food for the people.

Focus: Agricultural crops and livestock, natural resources, soil and water management, agriculture production, marketing and distribution of agricultural commodities, food security.

Background: By the end of the period of the first long-term agricultural plan of Nepal, Agriculture Perspective Plan (APP), 1995/96 – 2014/15, productivity, infrastructure, food security and poverty situation are known to have improved substantially. However, the status of agriculture development was still considered to be in a “low development stage” due to inability to achieve the level of growth as anticipated. Despite some subsectors such as dairy processing, poultry, tea, vegetable seed and fisheries showed positive signs, they are not yet sufficient to lift a large number of people engaged in agriculture out of poverty and make a dramatic dent in reducing malnutrition and assure food security of the nation. This has been the assessment during the formulation of the current long-term plan, Agriculture Development Strategy  (ADS) that is expected to guide the agricultural sector during strategy period, 2015-2035. Over the period of this two decade long plan, the structure of the agricultural sector is expected to change considerably, with the agribusiness and non-farm rural activities growing relative to accelerated agricultural growth. The ADS considers the agricultural sector in its complexity, and encompasses not only the production sectors (crops, livestock, fisheries, forestry) but also the processing sector, trade and other services (storage, transportation and logistics, finance, marketing, research, extension).

The ADS outlines its expected impacts through accelerated agricultural growth as follows:

• Ensuring food and nutrition security through improving productivity, profitability and competitiveness in agriculture,
• Reducing poverty reduction through accelerated agricultural growth,
• Providing an important source of foreign exchange through agricultural trade surplus,
• Promoting inclusion of disadvantaged groups and regions through an approach to value chain development for higher and more equitable income of rural households
• Providing institutional mechanisms to ensure farmers’ rights to participation in the planning, decision making, implementation, and monitoring of the strategy.

All these expected impacts remain only a tall talk if the country does to acquire the required capacity early enough for achieving the expected outputs i.e., improved governance, higher productivity, profitable commercialization and increased competitiveness as projected by the ADS. Importantly, the vast number of the Nepal’s current pool of professional expertise remain in foreign lands as Diaspora resources that should be redirected back to the motherland to revitalize innovation and adaptation of technologies as well as multi-sectoral collaboration and investment for transformative leap forward in the agriculture sector. This series of two symposia aims to address these concerns.

Symposium Session I: Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Implications for Food Security
(total time 100 minutes)

Session Chair: Prof. Dr. Ishwari Prasad Dhakal, Vice Chancellor, Agriculture and Forestry University, Rampur, Chitwan

Programme:

• • Symposium Introductions and Welcome (10 min): Prof. Dr. Keshav Adhikari, Dean, Institute of Agriculture and Animal Sciences, Tribhuvan University.
  • Keynote Policy Remarks from the Government of Nepal (12 min + 2 min Q&As): The Guest of Honor Dr. Yubak Dhoj GC, Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Land Management and Cooperatives, Government of Nepal.
  • Invited Theme video presentation, “Agriculture and Natural Resources Development and Management Strategy”(12 min + 2 min Remote response): Dr. Durga Poudel, Professor and Coordinator, Environmental Science Program, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Louisiana, USA
  • Invited Theme paper, “Transforming Rice Agri Food Systems in Nepal: need for strong international collaboration” (12 min + 2 min Q&As): Dr. Krishna Dev Joshi, Country Representative in Nepal, International Rice Research Institute, Manila, the Philippines.
  • Invited Theme paper,“Role of Livestock Sector for Improving Food and Nutrition Security of Rural Nepalese People” (12 min + 2 min Q&As): Dr. Nanda Prasad Shrestha, Former Executive Director and Former Principal Scientist, NARC, Adjunct Professor, HICAST
  • Invited Theme paper, “Securing Sustainable, Sufficient, Safe and Healthy Food: Principles and Practices of Food Security in Nepal” (12 min + 2 min Q&As): Dr. Drona Rasali, Director, Provincial Health Services Authority, BC (Canada); Adjunct Professor, University of Regina, SK  (Canada); Former Senior Scientist, NARC, the Editor-in-Chief, NAPA Food Security Book Project  (USA), and Chief of Programs, NRNA Academy.
  • “Pecha Kucha” Presentation, as selected from the abstracts submitted for posters (20 slides/images x 20 seconds)
  • Chair’s Summary remarks and Wrap up: (12 min + 1 min)

Symposium Session II: Agricultural Innovation and Practice for Food Security  
(total time 100 minutes)

Session Moderator: Dr. Drona Rasali

Programme:

• • Invited Innovation Talk, “Local innovation on enterprise based restoration of degraded lake and fish production by cooperative governance: Working scope to NRNA in agriculture sector for food and nutrition security in Nepal”(12 min + 2 min Q&As): Dr. Tek Bahadur Gurung, Principal Scientist and Research head, Livestock and Fisheries Research Nepal Agricultural Research Council.
  • Invited PowerTalk, “Alternative fertilizer options for Sustainable Agriculture in Nepal”(12+  + 2 min Q&As): Dr. Surya Bhattarai, Senior Research Fellow, Central Queensland University, Australia.
  • Two Accepted papers – To Be Determined- (22 min): as selected from the abstracts submitted for presentation.
  • ”Pecha Kucha”/Rapid Fire Presentations (in a limited number), as selected from the abstracts submitted. (25 min)
  • Panel discussion on multi-sectoral collaboration and investment for food security in Nepal: Dr. Nanda Shrestha, Dr. Krishna Dev Joshi, Dr. Surya Bhattarai, Dr. Tek Gurung, Prof. Dr. Keshav Adhikari, and a Ministry of Agriculture representative- Other panelists to be determined (25 min)

Important notes for Abstract submissions: Abstracts for mainly posters and a limited number of oral and rapid fire presentations are welcome for this series of “Agriculture and Food Security” symposia. Rapid Fire Presenters are encouraged to adopt “Pecha Kucha” type of presentation which consists of 20 images/slides for fast-paced presentation in 20 seconds each (6 min 40 seconds in total), or can choose to present  fewer slides within strictly allotted time of 6 minutes each). Fast-paced presenters interested in Pecha-Kucha are requested to indicate it in their abstract submission. Coordinators reserve the rights to accommodate the accepted abstracts for Accepted oral, Pecha Kucha or Rapid Fire Presentation as requested as possible within the available time. Convention Registration fee is waived for all invited or accepted presenters.

Contact Information for symposia:
Coordinators: Dr. Drona Rasali (drona.rasali2@gmail.com); Dr.Keshav Adhikari (keshav.adhikari2008@gmail.com)
Advisors: Dr. Nanda Prasad Shrestha (nandapd.shrestha@gmail.com), Dr. Tek Bahadur Gurung (tek_fisheries@hotmail.com) and Dr. Krishna Dev Joshi (k.d.joshi@irri.org)

Program Schedule