Agriculture Progress Hinges on Reliable Data

In a nation where the agriculture sector is a major lifeline, real progress of the sector will help drive its economy. Such progress can be achieved by knowing what is actually happening on the ground. For years, we have planned agriculture-related programs mostly with guesswork and unreliable reports, data and statistics. This created confusion among farmers and policymakers and has left the country’s agro-sector in the doldrums. Against such a backdrop, the nationwide agricultural survey initiation carried out by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development is a welcome step that is expected to change the agro sector for the better. The survey, which has aimed to collect data based on field visits and works, will finally give Nepal a chance to build strategy and effective plans to promote the farming sector based on clear facts instead of assumptions. The ministry’s new initiative will bring together local governments, provincial offices, and many partners under one system. This will help avoid repeated surveys and mixed data that will only create confusion and make the outcome unrealistic. Surveyors will now be visiting farmers directly to discuss different matters such as their crops, animals, income, market, water, irrigation, costs, and basic services provided by the government. Meeting the farmers directly is important because this way, actual stories and actual figures can be reflected within the local and national levels. The survey will start by choosing 600,000 farmers, from whom 51,000 will be surveyed. Based on their answers, areas that require improvement and areas that require more effort for improvement, as well as the difficulties experienced to acquire loan money, seeds, subsidies, and market access, will be ascertained.