Food Systems Foresight Research in the eastern and central Tarai provinces that form part of the Eastern Gangetic Plain (EGP) is an ongoing regional research initiative supported by the Australian Government funded Sustainable Development Initiative Portfolio (SDIP). The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and the Centre for Green Economy Development (CGED-Nepal) are jointly leading this regional research programme in Nepal.

The main focus of the research is to conduct review of literature and development of data base to carry out local foresight research on future Food Systems in EGP addressing the major challenges from high and rising population pressure on land, high burden of poverty and malnutrition, increasing urbanization, land degradation and land conversion, stagnating crop yields and the rising disparity between farm and non-farm incomes and increased uncertainty and extreme events due to climate change. It will also consider economic growth and technological progress that are transforming the South Asian economies generating new opportunities for agriculture sector to evolve into a more specialized and remunerative enterprise for smallholder women and men farmers and agricultural laborers. The research work in Nepal will be conducted in Province No. 2 and 1.

1. Prior to starting the field work, a collectively stocktaking of knowledge base and a policy level consultation to receive feedback from policy and decision makers was planned. The aim was to have clear understanding of the current and future challenges and opportunities for conducting local level Foresight Research work on future food systems (FFS) in Nepal. Representatives from IFPRI, South Asia; CGED-Nepal and other Nepal based organizations: the Department of Agriculture (DoA), IIDS-Nepal, IWMI-Nepal and CYMMIT-Nepal jointly organized two day workshop comprising two separate daylong events: The first event was a synthesis workshop in which all the four partners – CGED-Nepal, IFPRI, IWMI-Nepal, DoA and IIDS shared their ongoing and completed research papers. Three partners presented the following 5 presentations as listed below:
   SNO Paper Title Presenter
2. Food Policy of Government of Nepal; Dr. Ram Krishna Shrestha, Dept. of Agriculture
3. Sustainable Water Use by; Dr. Manohara Khadka, Country Representative, IWMI-Nepal
4. Impact of Federalization of the Agriculture Governance and Institutional Framework; Dr. Hari Dahal, CGED-Nepal
5. Occupation migration and livelihood diversification in Nepal; Dr. Avinash Kishor, IFPRI, South Asia, New Delhi
6. Understanding Food System in Nepal through the lens of Food-Water-Energy-Biodiversity Nexus; Dr. Madhav B. Karki, CGED-Nepal

In addition to the above 5 paper presentations, there were three other short presentations by Dr. Bishnu Dev Pant, ED, IIDS who delivered a brief welcome remarks and introduced the Delphi based polciy review work they are doing with IFPRI. Anjana Chaudhary made a brief presentation on the work being done by CIMMYT and the NGO partner CDFAN from Province No. 2 presentated their work on Water system development. These primarily and secondary information-based (the paper no. 2 also used primary information) desk-review studies and reports generated synthesised knowledge and good systems sectors (food, water, energy and biodiversity) related research and development policy options to improve the deteriorating agriculture production and food security scenarios in the EPG region, especially in Nepal’s eastern ganagatic plain provinces. Based on the in-depth discussion on these papers, policy relevant messages were prepared for sharing with the policy makers. Dr. Ram Shrestha, Dr. Manohara Khadka and Dr. Madhav Karki were assigned to present the synthesis with the policy makers in the Knowledge-Policy Dialogue planned on the following day (11 July 2019). The four presentations are shared separately.

Knowledge-Policy Dialogue (11 July, 2019):
The purpose of the Knowledge-Policy dialogue was to communicate the findings of the research based knowledge with the policy makers and receive their feedback. It had two objectives: a) validate the findings of the synthesis of the research papers and expert review papers, and b) sharpen the research agenda for demand based and policy relevant local food system research.

Altogether 39 participants – majority of them national level policy makers – attended the dialogue. The highlight of the Policy level Panel was the active participation of the Honorable Ms. Satya Pahadi, MP and a member of Finance Commission, Legislative Parliament. Some of the other decision-makers included the Hon. Dr. Ganesh Raj Joshi, Member, Commissioner for Investigation of Abuse of Authority, (CIAA), Nepal and former Secretary of Agriculture Ministry; Dr. Dinesh Chandra Devkota, former VC, NPC and Dr. Tak Bahadur Gurung, Acting ED, NARC were the distinguished Panel members chaired by Dr. Joshi. Multi-sector and multi-disciplinary stakeholders were in the audience. The four brief presentations made by Dr.; Madhav Karki, Dr. Tamara Jackson, Dr. Ram Shrestha and Dr. Manohara Khadka formed the knowledge base on which dialogue was focused. After the four presentations that reflected the key policy relevant and Tarai region’s agriculture sector focused issues, gaps and opportunities provided the information for the Panelists to add on, comment and provide a way forward. The presentations also provided the evidence – in case of federalization paper, ground based – that there are both knowledge gaps and availability for policy makers to take actions that are needed to improve the food systems in for example Province No. 2.
Conclusion

1. Developing common understating on issues will require common or collective thinking and change of mind-sets and attitude. Federalization needs time to show result. Local government systems need to be supported to work.
2.  Role of science and technology must be recognized to improve food systems in Nepal. Both NARC and the s are important institutions in agriculture sector development under federal sector as they generate and deliver science and research based knowledge to all levels of government; India’s model of KVK may be good model to learn from and customize according to Nepal’s own situation.
3. Youth migration is another opportunity to modernize our agriculture. Returnees bring back valuable knowledge and finance. The Govts. At all level need to create incentives and financial attractions to utilize this new resources;
4. A holistic Agriculture development is the basis for prosperity for Nepalese people. However, this will be possible if we can judiciously use our scare agriculture land by addressing fallow land, desertification, and fertility erosion. Environmental degradation (siltation and pollution), and native agro biodiversity loss under one umbrella research.
5. Weather Index based crop insurance is attracting the attention of farmers in some part of country. There are other types of crop insurance. These pilots need to be scaled-up.
6. Scientists, agriculture extension staff, farmers an private sector need to work together. This is the theme of the Local Food Systems Foresight Research we are planning to initiate. This dialogue has given us good agenda for research. The workshop has given number of guidelines for asking the right questions.
7. From the organizers’ perspectives, the key take away messages are as follow:

• A. Develop AKC within a resource network, including building connections between AKC and knowledge sources (i.e. NARC) for knowledge based inclusive extension systems;
  B. Conduct policy dialogue at the local level, for improved and informed decision making;
  C. Recognize importance of human resources and building capacity from farmers to research and extension agencies and address this bottleneck that exists at local government level;
  D. Promote climate change adaptation projects in agriculture sector at the provincial level, with both donor and government (national as well as local) fund and NGO mobilized human resources;
  E. Explore different mechanisms for improving coordination and collaboration
  F. Horizontal and vertical
  G. Sectoral
  H. Policy dialogue at the local level for informed decision making
  I. Enhance policy discourse at the local level (involving local and provincial govt. level actors and sectors) to demonstrate promising arrangements
   Identify constructive and effective measures to improve institutional arrangements
   Develop innovative ways to create an enabling environment for the private sector in the new federal system