completed· Livelihoods· Governance

Food Safety and Agriculture Commercialization Program

The program is aligned with ADB's Strategy 2030, specifically the operational priorities on promoting rural development and food security and strengthening governance and institutional capacity. Moreover, the government's 14th periodic plan (FY2016/2017-FY2018/2019), 15th five-year plan (FY2019/2020-FY2023/2024), and Envisioning Nepal 2030 have highlighted the modernization and commercialization of agriculture sector as a national development priority in the country's aspiration to attain middle-income status by 2030. The ADB-assisted Agriculture Development Strategy (ADS), 2015-2035 provides the government's 20-year strategic direction for the agriculture sector in Nepal, with a vision for a self-reliant, sustainable, competitive, and inclusive agriculture sector. The program aligns well with the four ADS outcomes: (i) improved governance, with measures such as improving the credibility of policy commitment; (ii) higher productivity, with activities for improving quality and availability of key inputs and extension services; (iii) profitable commercialization, with measures such as improving value-chain linkages; and (iv) increased competitiveness through increase in agricultural exports, and food safety and security, among others.