Picture a Nepalese farmer in the middle of planting season. Like millions of his countrymen, he faces a recurring nightmare: vital state-subsidized fertilizers are either unavailable, sold at exorbitant prices on the black market, or arrive too late, after precious time has passed for their application. This personal story is just one piece in the mosaic of a national crisis.
At the heart of Nepal’s economy lies a stunning contradiction. An agrarian country where agriculture employs about 60 percent of the workforce and contributes significantly to GDP, Nepal is paradoxically entirely dependent on imports of its most important agricultural input, chemical fertilizers. This dependency has created a fragile and unstable system.
There is a common belief, reinforced by the legacy of the Green Revolution, that high yields and food security are unthinkable without chemicals. This article challenges this belief, arguing that it is precisely this belief that keeps Nepal in a vicious cycle of debt and dependency. The aim of this study is to explore a viable, homegrown alternative, rooted in Nepal’s own agroecological traditions and modern organic innovations. It is a path that promises not just yields, but genuine agricultural sovereignty.
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By Alpha Business MediaPicture a Nepalese farmer in the middle of planting season. Like millions of his countrymen, he faces a recurring nightmare: vital state-subsidized fertilizers are either unavailable, sold at exorbitant prices on the black market, or arrive too late, after precious time has passed for their application. This personal story is just one piece in the mosaic of a national crisis.
At the heart of Nepal’s economy lies a stunning contradiction. An agrarian country where agriculture employs about 60 percent of the workforce and contributes significantly to GDP, Nepal is paradoxically entirely dependent on imports of its most important agricultural input, chemical fertilizers. This dependency has created a fragile and unstable system.
There is a common belief, reinforced by the legacy of the Green Revolution, that high yields and food security are unthinkable without chemicals. This article challenges this belief, arguing that it is precisely this belief that keeps Nepal in a vicious cycle of debt and dependency. The aim of this study is to explore a viable, homegrown alternative, rooted in Nepal’s own agroecological traditions and modern organic innovations. It is a path that promises not just yields, but genuine agricultural sovereignty.