Last March, when Nepal went into lockdown to manage the COVID-19 pandemic, Sarbaraj Bhandari realized he was in a bit of a fix. A goat farmer, he was in the process of upgrading and managing his goat-shed facilities with the help of extension services and technical support provided to farmers participating in the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development-led and IFAD-supported Agriculture Sector Development Programme (ASDP).

Ranjana Chaudhary’s story sounds like the stories of many thousands, if not millions, of young people in Nepal.

It is something of a paradox that, while there is broad agreement that micro-, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) are an integral part of the economy in developing countries, they remain underserved.

In the Middle Hills district of Nepal, an IFAD-funded project has helped reverse environmental degradation and bring people out of poverty. As a result of the project’s impressive impact, the government adopted a leasehold forest policy in 2002 and integrated the approach in its poverty strategy.

Rural development projects financed and supported by IFAD have contributed to increased agricultural productivity and incomes of smallholder farmers in Nepal, according to a new report presented today.

The Independent Office of Evaluation of IFAD and the Government of Nepal are holding a one-day workshop to share the findings of an independent evaluation of IFAD’s operations in Nepal over the last seven years (2013-2019).

IFAD and Nepal have signed a financing agreement to significantly improve incomes and food and nutrition security for 35,000 rural farming households in 10 districts in State 6.

Recognizing the multiplying effects of investing in rural women, the Swedish Government – through its development agency Sida – announced a US$5 million commitment to the Joint Programme on Accelerating Progress towards the Economic Empowerment of Rural Women (JP RWEE).