JICA Nepal Office Japan International Quarterly Newsletter Cooperation Agency July to September 2012 | VOLUME 66 of Agriculture, is implementing “The Project for the Master Plan Study on Enhancing corridor based High Value Agriculture Extension and Promotion in the Sindhuli Road Corridor” rural development (SRCAMP), which covers four districts— - Narendra Kumar Gurung Kavre, Sindhuli, Ramechap and Dolakha. It is expected that livelihoods of the rural people will be improved through the high value commercial agriculture production by increasing their income level. SRCAMP intends to intervene through major stakeholders from farmers, middlemen, private sector, cooperatives to government level to raise income for the improvement of living standard of rural people in a sustainable manner. There are other projects assisted such as Strengthening Community Mediation Capacity for Peaceful and Harmonious Society (COMCAP), Strengthening the Monitoring and Evaluation System (SMES), Road Maintenance, Participatory Watershed Management and Local Governance (PWMLGP) and the dispatch of JICA volunteers (Senior Volunteers and Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers) in the same areas. Besides, the Japanese Embassy, through its Grass Roots Grant Photo: Narendra Kumar Gurung Assistance Scheme, has been supporting various activities at the community level evelopment has multiple facets the improvement of the accessibilities and in the same areas. COMCAP encourages Dwith dynamic dimension and thus subsequently to the overall development in coherence and congenial atmosphere JICA, as one of the leading development the hilly areas of Janakpur zone. among the neighborhood that would agencies, has major theme “Inclusive and Banepa to Bardibas highway (160 km), enable everyone to live in a win-win Dynamic Development”. JICA’s assistance which started in mid 90s passes through situation where as the PWMLGP embraces in Janakpur zone of Nepal started in late the mid hill districts (Sindhuli, and Kavre) the local community members in each that connects the Capital city with the Terai 1970s with the Janakpur Agriculture Continued to page 7 Development Program (JADP) and and eastern parts of Nepal. To complement gradually moved towards the hilly districts the uses of this highway, JICA has been with the implementation of Horticulture supporting for the community access Development Projects (HDP I & II) in mid improvement project around the Sindhuli INSIDE 80s for more than a decade. Agriculture corridor areas. This project is ongoing n Cooperative sector has... Page 2 in a hilly and mountainous country like where 33 bridges are under construction n Ktm-Bkt Road Page 3 Nepal with diverse agro climatic variation to enhance connectivity on rural roads. n Dialogical facilitation Page 4 within short range of altitude has been Thus the major concern is how the rural n GeMSIP exchange tour Page 4 considered as the entry point by JICA people would be able to make best use of n Popularizing 5S Page 5 for the rural development. And JICA’s these facilities to improve their livelihoods. n News in brief Page 6-7 cooperation gradually moved towards JICA, in collaboration with the Department Cooperative sector has a lot of potential allowing people to work together to create credit and so on. JICA is trying to develop sustainable enterprises that generate jobs high value agricultural products in the and prosperity and provide answers to Sindhuli corridor area. Hopefully it can be poverty and short term business practices. used as a future model. The number of cooperatives in Nepal is Since Nepal has adopted three- large but their quality is quite questionable. pillar economic policy—government, More credible and members based cooperative and private—how the cooperatives are yet to come forward for cooperative sector can boost the other two the modernization and commercialization sectors? What are your recommendations Shigehisa Ozawa presenting a paper on Nepal’s for the agricultural development of Nepal. to revitalize Nepal’s economy through the cooperative sector development at the JICA cooperative sector? Nepal office. How can the cooperative sector make This sector realizes promotion of possible economic, social and cultural community development and reduction o-operatives are the life blood and transformation of a country like Nepal? of poverty and it can contribute to social Cbackbone of Nepal’s economy. Co-operative is a democratic business economy development of Nepal. Recently, Stalwart figures speak for themselves. organization and managed by members. the Government of Nepal has established More than three million Nepali people Poverty can be reduced through people the Ministry of Cooperatives and Poverty are affiliated with 22,646 co-operatives self-reliance. It creates people’s cooperative Alleviation to enhance and develop this the country boasts and over 50,000 are businesses and contributes to community sector. The government is determined to directly employed in the co-operative development, not only in urban areas but finalize a Cooperative Policy as soon as sector, recognized as one of the three also at local level. People not only can get possible. There is a challenge ahead on pillars of development. Like other sectors, business opportunities, they can learn how to deal with an increasing number of cooperative is one of the priority areas the ABCs of democratic management by co-operatives. of the Japan International Cooperation participating in cooperatives as a member Agency (JICA) in Nepal. Shigehisa has three aspects in a cooperative--- How can donor agencies like JICA work Ozawa, a JICA co-operative expert who investing, using and participating in for the development of Nepal’s cooperative worked here from 2006 to 2008 (as JICA management. sector? Any specific areas that they need to Senior Volunteer) and 2009-2012 (as focus on? Volunteer Coordinator) is all praise During your stay you have closely Japan considers agriculture and rural for Nepal’s co-operative sector. While observed Nepal’s cooperative sector, what development one of the priority sectors for he was in Nepal, he saw the fast-paced does a cooperative revolution mean in the reduction of poverty in rural areas of development of the co-operative sector. Nepalese context? How you promoted and Nepal. The rolling plan is one of a strategic Upon successful completion of his tenure supported cooperative activities in Nepal? document to extend assistance, which in Nepal recently, Santosh Chhetri of Cooperative is indispensable component mentions that the farmer groups are one JICA Nepal spoke with Ozawa about the of agricultural development in Nepal. of the most effective mediums to promote nitty-gritty of this sector. The large number of cooperatives (that agriculture and rural development in emerged in a short period) have a pivotal Nepal. Cooperatives are considered one of Being a foreign cooperative expert, how role in Nepalese economy. Now we can see the most effective institutional mechanisms do you find Nepal’s cooperative sector? some farmers who are producing various through the mobilization of farmer groups How does it fare in comparison with the agricultural commodities in commercial to promote the overall development in cooperative sectors of the other countries? scale. JICA has also supported in transferring rural areas. Cooperatives of Nepal have few members agricultural technology over the years. and their scale is small. The power of The spread of OVOPs (One Village, One What JICA should do to promote and community people is not being fully Product) in recent years is promising. Now, support cooperative activities in Nepal? utilized. Cooperatives are businesses many farmhouses are guided by market- owned and run by and for their members. driven approaches. But at the same time Utilizing experiences of the Japanese No matter who the members are, they there is a huge margin between the prices cooperative movement, using cooperative have an equal says and shares. Co- that farmers and consumers get. potential for poverty reduction in rural operatives share internationally agreed Nepal’s agriculture sector needs to be areas and continue working towards principles and act together to build a better modernized at the earliest. We can see agriculture development are the foremost world through cooperation. Successful some initiatives by cooperatives such as things that JICA can do. co-operatives around the world are in milk, vegetable production, saving and 2 Ktm-Bkt road: A symbol of modernization - Sourab Rana ransport is one of the most important the contractor and consultant on September by the enforcement of regulations by Tand foremost infrastructure for 17, 2012 to confirm the works carried out the traffic police, better solid waste the development of the nation. More under the defects liability by the contractor. management by the related municipalities importantly, the quality transport JICA officials were also present during the and VDCs, support from the local people, infrastructure can be taken as an engine of successful completion of the defects liability and the proper use by the road users. growth and development. inspection. And now, it can be said that the Then, it will certainly give satisfaction to Government of Nepal and the other Nepali the Government of Japan and JICA for In order to support for the development of stakeholders have further greater role to having supported this important project. Nepal, JICA assisted for the construction manage this road’s efficiently;