Lumbini Province has launched a bid to make its hill districts organic.

The provincial government has placed the transformation of agricultural and livestock products—from food grains to meat—into organic production as its top priority in the hill areas.

The Lumbini provincial government introduced a 15-year Agricultural Development Strategy implementation plan last year, and its execution has now begun.

The hill districts of the province, located in the midwestern part of Nepal, include Gulmi, Palpa, Arghakhanchi, Pyuthan, Rolpa and East Rukum.

These districts are part of the province’s 12 districts and feature a mix of hilly terrain. East Rukum also includes Himalayan landscapes, including Mount Putha, which stands at 7,246 metres.

In the current fiscal year’s policies and programmes, the government has declared Rukum East an organic district.

The strategy prioritises the promotion of improved seeds, the use of fallow land, the “one district, one product” programme, climate-friendly agriculture, strengthening resource centres, internal quarantine systems, the establishment of export-oriented industries, and the promotion of partnerships for agricultural transformation.

The strategy also emphasises crop and water management, collaboration with the private sector, coordination among agricultural research, education and extension services, and the development and transfer of technology as key foundations.

In the province’s second periodic plan, organic and commercial agriculture have been set as major goals.

An “Organic Agriculture Campaign” has been launched alongside the implementation of the “Lumbini Organic Agriculture Decade”.

The strategy also highlights expanding agricultural enterprises through modernisation, industrialisation and market development; utilising and sustainably managing fallow land; reducing investment risks through the expansion of agricultural and livestock insurance programmes; and strengthening agricultural infrastructure, technology and technical manpower.

It also outlines plans to make the livestock and poultry sector self-reliant and export-oriented, and to develop it into a modern, competitive and technology-driven industry.

Hari Prasad Pandit, spokesperson for the provincial Ministry of Agriculture, Land Management and Cooperatives, said Lumbini has a total land area of 2.22 million hectares, making it the third-largest province in the country by area.

Of this, 30.5 percent is cultivable land. However, farming is currently practised on only 535,351 hectares. Irrigation facilities have reached only 45.9 percent of the cultivated land, or 245,541 hectares.

Pandit, who is also a senior agricultural economist, said the province contributes 14.3 percent to Nepal’s national agricultural gross domestic product, while agriculture accounts for 29.6 percent of the province’s total gross domestic product.

According to the 2021 national census, Lumbini Province has a population of 5.12 million. Of them, there are 765,092 farmers.

Pandit said that 67 percent of the province’s citizens depend directly on agriculture.

“Of them, only about 10 percent are commercial farmers, while the rest are engaged in traditional farming systems,” he said.

Transforming farmers who rely on traditional farming practices into commercial producers and expanding organic farming technologies remain a major challenge.

Chief Minister Chetan Narayan Acharya said an effective implementation of the government’s strategy and the results it produces will make Lumbini a model province in agriculture and an organic region.

“To achieve this, the provincial government has given high priority to turning hill districts into organic districts,” he said.

The government has also been holding discussions on priorities, strategies, cooperation with partner institutions, achievements and the effectiveness of agricultural development initiatives.

In some districts, government-declared programmes have already proven effective. For example, Nisdi Rural Municipality in Palpa has been declared organic, and its ginger has successfully reached international markets.

Based on such experiences, the government has set a target to clearly designate organic zones within 10 years.

“Both the government and partners can invest 50-50 percent to move forward with result-oriented programmes,” Acharya said. “We have included this priority in our policies and programmes with a clear basis that organic production can be increased by managing forest leaves and livestock manure.”

He added that cooperation with partner organisations could also expand in areas such as fish, meat, milk, fruits, vegetables and other productive sectors.

However, some government projects have yet to be utilised.

The Butwal slaughterhouse, built with an investment of nearly Rs100 million, has not come into operation even three years after its construction was completed. Acharya said such projects must also be reviewed and categorised while planning future programmes.

“Future plans should not be like that,” he said. “Partnership programmes from now on must have clear commitments and be based on measurable outcomes.”

Minister for Agriculture, Land Management and Cooperatives Dinesh Panthi said the provincial government has been prioritising efforts to achieve self-sufficiency in milk, meat, fish, vegetables and food grains.

Tirtha Raj Regmi, national director of Heifer International Nepal, said various programmes are being implemented with Lumbini as a priority province to improve the livelihoods of small farmers.

Minister Panthi said the provincial government has already prepared a long-term plan for agricultural transformation and begun its implementation phase.

“The expansion of organic farming, self-reliance in production, modernisation and partnership-based programmes have been put forward as key pillars for the coming years,” he said. “For that purpose, data are currently being collected on farmers who have adopted commercial agriculture and those who still depend on traditional farming systems.”

He said the data will be analysed and further strategies formulated based on the identified needs.