The Nepal Agriculture Market Development Programme (NAMDP) is funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and focuses on Nepal’s Province 1. The programme is implemented by a consortium of Swisscontact, as the lead agency, and the Center for Environmental and Agricultural Policy Research, Extension and Development (CEAPRED). Current NAMDP Phase 2 (December 2020 – November 2024) focuses on forward market linkages, strengthening the commercialization and export of Nepal’s agricultural produce.

The project has three main outcomes:

Outcome 1: Observed changes at the level of agribusinesses, particularly small and medium enterprises (SMEs), aiming to increase trade of agricultural products.

Outcome 2: Observed changes at the service provider level, where both agriculture and non-agriculture service providers will have the capacity to deliver innovative products and services to agri-businesses, especially SMEs.

Outcome 3: Observed changes at the public sector, where the project contributes to a favorable regulatory environment that encourages coordination in investment, trade and business growth.

Swisscontact contracted SWN to lead quantitative and qualitative research across eight districts of Nepal’s Province 1.

The study objective was to evaluate the existing status of commercialization and income levels of farmers with a focus on the following four commodities: maize, dairy, cardamom and vegetables.

Farmers’ Household Survey: Quantitative data was collected through a household survey using a structured farmers’ household questionnaire. The survey was carried out with a total of 379 farmers of Province 1

Key Informant Interview: This technique was used to interview a total of 30 key informants across the eight project districts. The Study Team selected key informants from i) local and provincial levels of the Government of Nepal and ii) the private sector, who have been closely involved in Nepal’s agriculture sector.

Focus Group Discussion: The Study Team utilized Focus Group Discussions to collect in-depth qualitative information from groups of farmers using a semi-structured FGD checklist. The Core Study Team completed a total of 16 FGDs across eight project districts.

SWN prepared and delivered to Swisscontact a detailed assignment report that included the findings that contribute to baseline figures as well as a range of recommendations.

Agriculture, Baseline study, Agribusinesses, Value chain, Commercialization of farm