Nepal is a small developing country located between India and China and is one of the most densely populated countries in the world (Smith, 1991). In Nepal, approximately 29 million people live within an area of 147,181 square kilometers. In comparison, Canada has 6 million more people than within approximately 62 times more land (World Fact Book: Canada, 2016). The agriculture industry employs around 3 quarters of the Nepalese population and contributes nearly 40% of the total GDP, making it the most profitable industry in Nepal. (World Fact Book: Nepal, 2016) However, Nepal remains among the least developed countries with more than half of the population considered below the poverty line, as of 2004 (UNICEF: Malnutrition, 2016; Devkota and Upadhyay, 2013). Slightly below one third of the land in Nepal is suitable for agricultural production (Figure 3) and is further divided among arable land, pastures and permanent crops (Figure 4) (World Fact Book: Nepal, 2016).
Nepal can generally be divided into three geographical areas: The terai, hill and mountainous regions. The terai region refers to the plains of Nepal, which is located in the south and borders India (Devokta and Upadhyay, 2013). A significant portion of crop growth is restricted to the mid-hill and plains regions of Nepal as 34% of Nepal’s total land area consists of a relatively unproductive mountainous region (Devokta and Upadhyay, 2013). The plains, or terai region, in the south and the mid-hill region have a rate of production two times greater than the mountainous terrain, with the greatest quantity of food cultivated in the hills of Nepal. The limited area of productive land in Nepal as well as the dense population is understood to restrict further agricultural development (Devokta and Upadhyay, 2013). As a result, the prevalence of malnutrition in Nepal is very high, with a proportion between 30-40% of the population reported as malnourished, as illustrated in Figure 3 (UNICEF: Malnutrition, 2016). Devokta and Upadhyay (2013) state that nearly three quarters of Nepalese families have less than one hectare of productive land. The minimal amount of productive land available to Nepal’s dense population emphasizes the requirement for improved agricultural practices.
Figure 3: Map of global malnutrition demonstrating a proportion of nearly 40% of South Asia experiencing malnutrition.
Agricultural production in Nepal is far lower than surrounding nations in South Asia (Devkota and Upadhyay, 2013). Bohle and Adhikari (1998) state that a significant portion of Nepal’s population does not have access to an adequate amount of food due to low agriculture production. Nepal’s need for intensified production, Nepal has not only failed to continue to increase yields, but the output of certain crops is actually decreasing (Devkota and Upadhyay, 2013). Nepal’s weak productivity can be attributed to the minimal use of fertilizer, which also lags behind other developing countries (Shrestha, 2010; FAO, 2000). Fertilizer is deemed a critical input for sustained crop production where the output required is beyond the capacity of the natural land (Smil, 2001). While the volume of fertilizers used in Nepal has been increasing, overall use remains below an adequate value (Shrestha, 2010). Nepal’s government has attempted to subsidize fertilizer to encourage local farmers to incorporate a greater amount of nutrients into production. However, the government has not been successful in supplying farmers with the required quality and quantity of fertilizer (Shrestha, 2010).
Nepal is currently experiencing a similar issue of soil degradation, as the use of fertilizer has not increased at a sufficient rate (personal communication: Tejendra Chapagain, 2016). Therefore, it is vital that Nepal has access to a sufficient amount of fertilizer in order to increase and maintain the concentration of nutrients in their soil to avoid further land degradation (FAO, 2000). It has been demonstrated that improving the low rates of agricultural productivity in developing nations can help to reduce the severity of poverty (Devokta and Upadhyay, 2013). Therefore, addressing the need for a substantial increase in crop production is necessary to improve more than just agriculture issues, but social and economic issues as well (Devokta and Upadhyay, 2013). The fertilizer currently available to Nepalese farmers is often of an unreliable quality and is highly expensive (Shrestha, 2010). Nepal must resort to importing a significant portion of their fertilizer from India, as it is often lower in price (Shrestha, 2010).
Top Image from: http://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2013/12/17/multi-model-assessments-predict-effects-of-climate-change-on-agriculture/