Dear Honorable Balen,

The public opinion gained through the elections and the government formed under your leadership have great hopes among all Nepalese citizens. In particular, the new generation, who are shouting the slogan of ‘Yug Parivartan’, and the workers and farmers who have been sweating on the soil for decades, expect not only traditional political assurances from the government formed under your leadership, but also concrete steps to bring about radical reforms in their way of life. The slogan ‘The son of Madhesh is going to Kathmandu for a visit, not to demand rights’ is something not only Madhesh but all Nepalis should be proud of.

The agricultural sector, which is the backbone of Nepali livelihood, is currently in a very delicate and difficult situation. The mainstay of our economy, food, employment and self-respect has collapsed under the grip of agro-industrial colonization. Through this letter, we would like to draw your attention by briefly discussing the uniqueness of Nepali agriculture, the causes of the current crisis, and the roadmap to solve it.

Originality and unique identity of Nepali agriculture

The geography and social character of Nepal are different and diverse from other countries in the world. Our agriculture and food system is based on the diverse environment formed by the interdependent unique ecological interrelationship of the mountains, hills and plains under the umbrella of the Himalayan range and the diverse culture created in it. Our culture, festivals and philosophy of life are not only interconnected, but also intertwined. Its diversity is as colorful as a beautiful flower garden. 

This colorful flower garden of nature is full of biodiversity and microclimates. There are thousands of microclimate zones from the mountains to the plains in Nepal. Our geography itself determines that an integrated farming system of diversified small farmers is more suitable for us than a centralized and large-scale single-crop farming system. Our ancestors adopted this farming system knowing this. Rather, what we have forgotten with modernity is the original thought of making it advanced. 

The seasonal cycle and food culture of our geography are unique. We farm based on the cycle of 6 seasons. Our festivals are linked to the seasons, the living soil and the cycle of crops. Whether it is the Newari farming culture of Kathmandu or the Tharu community, the Mithila of Madhesh or the Karnali or the Kiratis of the east or the arid regions beyond the Himalayas. All of these are struggling to survive by integrating with their environment and culture. This diversity is the strength of our self-sufficient food system. It is a vast storehouse of crops and animals with comparative advantage, medicinal herbs. All of these should not be ignored in the name of modernity.

Root cause of the crisis: Blind imitation of industrial agriculture

The wave of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and foreign seeds that began around the world in the name of the Green Revolution after World War II has destroyed the foundation of Nepali agriculture. This has established the belief that the indigenous knowledge that our ancestors have been practicing for thousands of years is backward and that imported knowledge is modern. Due to this, instead of being entitled to food production (social services), farmers have become only customers of products (fertilizers and seeds) of multinational companies. 

The use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides has made living soil dead. The fields of the Terai and the hills have now become so acidic that they cannot grow anything without chemicals. This has poisoned our air, water and the entire nature, the direct impact of which is seen in the form of complex diseases like cancer and kidney disease. In our country too, the number of people dying from non-communicable diseases is increasing rather than communicable. The state is forced to spend crores on the treatment of such diseases. 

The role of soil and microorganisms

The basis of the agricultural system is the living soil on the surface of the earth. Soil is not just a pile of sand and stones, it is the home of billions of microorganisms. What will happen to our lives if their habitat is destroyed? A spoonful of fertile soil contains more microorganisms than the world's population. These microorganisms provide the nitrogen and other minerals needed by plants. However, chemical fertilizers and pesticides are destroying the very life of these bacteria.

Plants make energy from sunlight and the organic matter produced by these microorganisms in the soil. When we add chemicals from outside, the natural energy cycle of the soil is disrupted. This results in a lack of nutrients and an increase in the amount of pesticides in the produced crops. 

Natural agriculture is the only option

The way forward should not be blind industrial agriculture or degraded health care, but natural agriculture and a lifestyle based on nature-human interaction. This is the behavior of nature. Nature is not as impulsive as we are. It wastes nothing. The remains of one organism become the food of another. One gives one thing, the other another stuff. This cyclical system of transactions should be applied to farming. In other words, an integrated agricultural system that connects animal husbandry, forestry and farming is our sustainable future. 

The fertilizers, seeds and technology required for farming should be prepared locally. Solar energy and bioenergy-based agriculture are more productive and sustainable in the long run than agriculture based on external mineral energy (petroleum). It increases the resistance capacity of not only plants but also humans.

Another thing, agriculture is not just a means of making profit, it is a social responsibility to ensure healthy food for all. The respect and rights of small farmers, landless and women farmers who practice such farming should be protected in a policy-based manner, as they have voted for.

Honorable Sir,

The following key policy and practical changes are necessary in the next 5 years to transform Nepali agriculture:
Current agricultural education is not producing ‘agricultural technicians’, but only ‘agricultural (pre) rulers’. Practical knowledge of local environment, soil health and indigenous seeds, nutrition and resistance should be made mandatory from primary school onwards. The state should invest in field trials of farmers rather than research conducted in laboratories. Traditional knowledge of healthy living should be discovered and revived. The development of agriculture should be made a bridge with the idea of ​​helping the indigenous knowledge to be advanced through the discoveries and inventions of modern science. 

Due to hard work and busyness day and night, small and working farmers have not even had time to speak and have always been cheated in society. Without a radical change in the farmer support system, no one is ready to become a farmer anymore. Currently, the state is subsidizing billions of rupees for the import of chemical fertilizers and commercial farming. This subsidy is ultimately making others rich and damaging our soil. Such subsidies should be stopped immediately and direct assistance should be provided to productive farmers, and prices and markets should be regulated. In addition, to encourage natural farming, direct subsidies should be given to farmers who invest in organic fertilizers, manure and local seed conservation, while gradually reducing subsidies. This should be remembered as a saving in health. A transparent aid distribution system should be implemented in coordination with the local government so that the actual farmers who cultivate get the facilities. A distinction should be made between industrial and family agriculture. 

Strict pesticide testing of imported vegetables and fruits should be done at the border checkpoints. A national resolution should be taken to make Nepal a pesticide-free country. Ensuring the market, a minimum support price should be set for the products produced by farmers and a system should be made for purchasing them through the local government. This should also be considered as an investment in health. 

It is a matter of national shame that the youth go to the river to sweat in the fields of the villages while leaving the farmlands barren. Youth-targeted programs should be introduced to establish the agricultural profession as a respectable and attractive profession. Youth should be connected to agricultural work by making entrepreneurs who revive the soil by providing collateral-free concessional loans and technology. A strategic framework should be made based on priorities to carry out all these tasks.

Honorable Sir, 

Nepali agriculture is like a dying patient at this time, and farmers are like shepherds who are waiting for the patient. In such a situation, it is not enough to just give the patient white pills and reassure the shepherd, but a holistic treatment is necessary by providing healthy food and confidence. The change that public opinion is seeking now is for our villages to be full again, for the fields to be green again, and for our children to be able to eat pesticide-free, healthy food. The courage and determination to bring about this change is possible under your leadership.