People in Nepal are directly or indirectly depend on agriculture where a big portion of population adopts it as their occupation. Likewise, rice is the main crop and main food grain so as rice plantation is a festival occasion for many. Asar 15, the date in middle of best rice planting month which fall around end of June is a festival for farmers. People celebrate this day by hard working in fields as well as enjoy singing, dancing and taking simple but culturally rich food.
The day is naturally a significant to agriculture and self reliance as well. In Nepal, agriculture is still the largest sector of employment and the second largest contributor to the country’s gross domestic product. Even then, the grass root people and the communities experience that there is no sufficient investment in irrigation facilities, farm implements and rural roads. Since the country’s export is less than a tenth of its imports, the country fulfils the foreign exchange deficit by exporting labour to difficult foreign destinations to bring in sweat-dollars.
Many take federalism as a cure for much of the unitary state’s ills but unsystematic activities of the three tiers of government at the local level, provinces and the centre threaten to create an unmanageable mess in our young republic. But there are no efforts to replicate their successful models to benefit a larger mass. Like cottage and small-scale service industries, there is a huge scope for agro-based family enterprises in Nepal.
Now, time has come to review the technological interventions in the agriculture sector. The country had witnessed experiences by using renewable energy technologies for agriculture purposes as well so as Solar Photo Voltaic Pumping Systems have been introduced for irrigation purpose. That has been used for drinking water purpose also in many places. As such, renewable energy technologies are to be considered for agricultural development in the country.
The technical intervention will have to enable farmers in irrigating fields, drinking water, better crop, better income and food security systems. These efforts and achievements should be indicator of upgraded living standard of the farmers and better economic growth for the country.
Renewable Energy Confederation Nepal (RECON) considers to organise an interaction of relevant experts including experts in Solar PV Pumping, Rain harvest, Solar thermal equipments and similar other technologies and equipments on Thursday Asar 15 (June 29, 2017). This will be an occasion for discussing on renewable energy based technologies available for agriculture development and exchange of experiences and opinions for further application of technologies.
