Nepal is growing more rice but losing indigenous varieties

Farmers are abandoning indigenous rice for higher-yielding hybrids, putting at risk varieties that carry distinctive genetic traits, cultural traditions and centuries of agricultural history.

Until a decade ago, the paddies of Nepal’s Tarai were dominated by rice varieties whose names were deeply woven into the region’s farming culture: Sona Mansuli, Soni, Katarni, Savitri, Ram Dhan, Radha-4, Sawadhan and Swarna, also known as Ardinath.