Introduction Materializing the Vision for Organic Province

Organic Agriculture is a production system that sustains the health of soil, ecosystems, and people. It relies on ecological processes, biodiversity, and cycles adapted to local conditions, instead of user inputs that pose adverse effects The high cost of agrochemicals that result in environmental losses further pushes for organic farming In fact, Nepal has high potential and comparative advantages of producing quality organic products owing to the country’s ecological diversities and expanse. However, many national policy documents on organic agriculture consider organic products luxurious. As a result, a lot of the innovation in organic agriculture, government priorities, and people’s perceptions are inclined towards earning dollars rather than environmental conservation and sustainability of the farming system. In this context, many efforts are being made to turn Karnali Province into an ‘Organic Province’ and the provincial government has been allocating tens of millions of rupees to promote organic farming in the province for projects ranging from creating organic villages to establishing laboratories Hence, this session delved into the challenges, opportunities, and way forward for materializing the vision of Karnali Province being an organic province

Objective

To discuss the current realities and challenges of organic agriculture in the Karnali Province.

To explore prospects and opportunities existing in the province for organic agriculture

To delve into the roles of provincial and local governments in materializing the vision of Karnali Province becoming an organic province.

Speakers

Mahesh Acharya, Agriculture Extension Officer, Ministry of Land Management, Agriculture and Cooperatives, Karnali Province.

Neha Thapa, Sr. Area Coordinator, KISAN II Project, CEAPRED Sagar GC, Team Lead, Green Agriculture Project, LI-BIRD

Moderator: Sujeev Shakya, Chair, Nepal Economic Forum