Launched in commemoration of the United Nations International Year of Cooperatives 2025, the ‘Seeding Strength’ campaign highlights the transformative role of agricultural cooperatives in India, Bangladesh, Cambodia, and Nepal.
Agroforestry, which integrates trees into farming systems, has been consistently championed by the government as a multi-faceted solution to national priorities. These include doubling farmers' income, increasing tree cover outside traditional forest areas, mitigating climate change, reducing timber imports, and ensuring sustainable land management.
At the border, families endure sweltering temperatures often topping 40°C, armed with the few belongings they could manage to pack. They find shade under blankets, while signs of malnutrition are evident in children, and many mothers appear worn down and anxious.
Meanwhile, UNHCR alongside partners is working to address the urgent needs of those arriving – food, water, shelter, protection. However its programmes are also under severe strain due to limited funding.
Formalized under the ICA-EU Financial Framework Partnership Agreement Phase 2, the MoU reflects a shared commitment to elevating smallholder farmers—especially women and youth—as stewards of agricultural transformation.
President Paudel expressed concern over Nepal’s increasing reliance on imported rice and paddy. He underscored the importance of adopting climate-smart technologies and making use of domestic human resources to foster self-reliance in agriculture.
The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved a proposal from the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare to establish International Potato Centre (CIP)’s South Asia Regional Centre (CSARC) at Agra, Uttar Pradesh.
International experience shows that well-designed TVET systems can reduce youth unemployment, raise female labour force participation, and support economic diversification.
Analyses have flagged the potential for El Niño to push food inflation into double digits in import-dependent economies, compounding pressures on households still recovering from earlier crises.
International experience shows that well-designed TVET systems can reduce youth unemployment, raise female labour force participation, and support economic diversification.
Bilateral trade reached $129 billion in 2024, with India enjoying a surplus. US agricultural imports from India rose, but concerns persist over subsidised US products undercutting Indian farmers. Agriculture employs about 42 per cent of India’s population, making it politically explosive – as seen in the 2021 farm law protests.
As Afghanistan grapples with this latest natural disaster, the episode underscores the urgent need for both immediate humanitarian support and longer-term adaptation strategies.
Without renewed cooperation grounded in updated science, transparent data and mutual restraint, the Ganges risks becoming a source of friction rather than a shared lifeline.