The agricultural sector remains largely dependent on traditional methods of cultivation - using bullocks and farmhands. Often, plots are left fallow during peak agricultural seasons, due to the shortage of labor.

Mechanization is currently limited mainly to larger farms in the Terai. It is particularly inadequate in the mid-hills of Nepal, due to the unavailability of machinery suitable for use in the narrow and sloped terrain. Only an estimated 15% of productive farmland in the mid-hills is prepared by mechanized means.

Samarth-NMDP is working to catalyze changes in the availability of farm machinery suitable for the hills, especially mini-tillers. This includes working with importers and dealers, to capture the market potential for mini-tillers and other varieties of farm machinery.  The interventions focus on effective marketing and after-sales care; and provision of financial and training packages to enable machinery operators to invest in mini-tillers as well as its attachment, to establish service business.

Current Interventions

1. Improve Access to Marketing, Financial and Technical Services

2. Improve Efficiency of Traditional Cultivation Equipment

3. Increase Capacity of Technicians to Strengthen After-sales Services

Working Districts: 
Tehrathum
Ilam
Palpa
Dang
Dadeldhura
Myagdi
Surkhet
Arghakhanchi
Syangja
Dhading
Sindhuli

Related Resources

Training on maintenance and repair of agri-machineries to improve after-sales services
June 21, 2016

In order to strengthen the after sales services of agri-machineries, Samarth-NMDP is currently working with Department of Agriculture Engineering (DOAEng) and private sector partners to build the capacity of motorcycle and pump-set mechanics to expand into repair and maintenance of agri-machineries. The first phase of the ten-day training was held from May 10th to 19th where 20 mechanics from 20 different districts from all across the nation were trained on the premises of DoAEng in Kathmandu. 

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Linking agri-machinery suppliers with local cooperatives to provide farmers with better finance opportunities
June 21, 2016

Access to finance has always been a limiting factor in the sales of small agriculture machinery. Farmers don’t have easy access to finance and hence are not able to purchase machines that reduce cost and increase productivity. Providing access to finance at a reasonable interest rate could potentially lead to increase in the use and sales of agriculture machinery. To connect local financial cooperatives with agriculture machinery suppliers, two workshops were held on June 1st and June 2nd in Ilam and Jhapa respectively. Click the button below to read more:

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Making Molehills out of Mountains: Expanding Access to Mechanized Cultivation in the Mid-hills of Nepal
June 12, 2015

Cultivating the land is an arduous, physical task, especially on the steep terraces of the mid-hills. Over 40% of farmers have access to draught animal power (mainly oxen and buffalo) via around 250,000 owners. Among draught oxen and buffalo owning families, women are usually tasked with gathering forage and caring for these animals – spending around an hour a day in doing so.

Samarth-NMDP’s mechanization component began in June 2013 and decided, based on initial market analysis, to focus primarily on facilitating the development of the mini-tiller market in the mid-hills. This is where the deficit in labour is being most acutely felt, and where the mechanization market is least developed.

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Nepal: Farming the future
January 23, 2015

The introduction of modern machinery has opened up agricultural markets for Nepal’s low income farmers

Mini-tillers transforming agriculture in the mid-hills
December 15, 2014
“The time I used to spend on my ox can now be spent on more productive farm activities. My field productivity has also improved because the land prepared by using a mini-tiller has consistent soil quality. I have already provided services to seven additional farms and my neighbors seem to be very happy with the quality of the soil tilled and the following increase in their productivity. In just
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