For Environment, Democracy and Livelihoods
On 21st December 2023, ForestAction Nepal, the secretariat of the Alliance of Agriculture for Food, organized an interaction program entitled ‘Preamble discussion on the Agricultural Development Bill for Bagmati Province’ at Sap-Falcha, Kathmandu. The objective of the event was to discuss the draft document of Agriculture Bill prepared by Bagmati Province.
The program was conducted in the presence of the Honorable Speaker of Bagmati Province Assembly, Mr. Bhuvan Kumar Pathak, along with honorable members of the Committee on Education, Health and Agriculture of Bagmati Province, including Shreeram Lamichhane, Basanta Kumar Manandhar, Urmila Kumari Lama, Raghunath Maharjan, Samita Khadgi, Meena Parajuli, Dhaneshwori Prajapati, Bindu Shrestha, and Sakuntala Shrestha. Additionally, several stakeholders attended, including agriculture experts, farmers, media personnel, students, representatives of civil society organizations (CSOs), and members of AAF.”
During the event, Mr. Uddhav Adhikari, the coordinator of AAF, presented a thorough review of the document, accompanied by valuable feedback from AAF. After the presentation, the floor was opened for questions and views from the participants. Following this, the honorable MPs shared their perspectives, which was then followed by a speech from the honorable speaker. The event concluded with closing remarks from the AAF coordinator.
A summary of the major viewpoints expressed during the discussion;
– Most of the policy documents emphasize creating jobs through increased production, productivity, and growth. It also seems that the current draft is more focused on promoting agricultural businesses rather than overall agricultural development. Therefore, it would be more appropriate to refer to it as the “Agricultural Business Promotion Act” rather than the “Agricultural Development Bill.”
– Need of act that prevents the fragmentation of agricultural land.
– The provincial government should ensure the provision of a minimum price guarantee for agricultural produce and agricultural products.
– The primary focus should be on overcoming obstacles during the implementation phase of the bill, rather than solely focusing on the process of creating the bill.
– There is a need to develop a model for promoting ecological agriculture. However, considering the current scenario of agricultural education, which is even worse, it is crucial to formulate a policy aimed at improving it.
– There is a need for structural reformation to enhance the effectiveness of agriculture extension process.
– It is crucial to acknowledge and address the crises caused by climate change. Agricultural policies that disregard the climate change crisis on agriculture will not be effective in addressing the challenges that agriculture faces.
– The agricultural insurance system should be simplified and subsidies should be effectively managed.
– It is important to actively involve agricultural students in agricultural entrepreneurship activities.
The honorable provincial assembly members have acknowledged that the policy-making process in Nepal lacks sufficient discussions with stakeholders. However, they view the ongoing discussion on the draft bill as a positive initiative. They also recognize the need for continuous improvement in the process itself, while noting that the discussions surrounding the bill are progressing in the right direction.
