Book Publication
Book Title
Agriculture, natural resources, and food security: Lessons from Nepal
The Book entitled, “Agriculture, natural resources, and food security: Lessons from Nepal” explains how a former net food exporting Nepal has become a net food importing country due to a lack of an integrated system-wide approach to planning and governance of agriculture and natural resources. It showcases recent studies and experimental insights of authors who are actively engaged in Nepal’s agriculture and natural resources management policy and practice. It consists of 24 chapters rigorously reviewed by both the Editorial Board members comprising of five internationally recognised scientists and academics and the external reviewers. The book chapters demonstrate how various components of the food systems —including agronomy, horticulture, agrobiodiversity, soil science, plant health, food toxins and food safety, post-harvest management, livestock and fisheries, forests, grasslands and water, and socio-economics including marketing and trade — have been managed in sectoral silos, crippling the very foundations of food systems innovations. Chapters also explore ways to tackle climate change impacts while considering gender, social equity, conservation agriculture practices, and crop modelling as cross-cutting themes.
The book features some of the internationally acclaimed practices with a potential to make significant contributions to food security if cross-sectoral integration is ensured using the food systems innovation lens. The overall summary chapter integrates the knowledge and recommendations from individual components of agricultural and food systems and provides research and policy recommendations with systems perspective. This book utilizes Nepal as a case study in relation to wider questions of food security and livelihoods facing South Asia and synthesizes lessons that are relevant to the Global South where countries are struggling to harmonize and integrate natural resources management for sustainable and effective food security outcomes. The editors and authors hope that the book will significantly contribute knowledge towards achieving various United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
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This book is expected to be an excellent resource for everyone with some stake in agriculture, forestry and natural resources management in Nepal, other countries in south Asia, and Australia. It is also expected to serve as a food-security compendium for planners, policymakers and decision-makers, implementers, and field-level professionals engaged in governmental, non-governmental, civic leaders, donors, and private-sector organizations. Benefiting from the book will be farmers, private companies, food industries, retailers and suppliers, researchers, University faculties and students, and professional associations in the areas of food security and natural resources management. There are no existing studies with such comprehensive treatment of the topic capturing in-depth studies from Nepal.
