Farmers in Nepal Benefit from Climate-Smart and Improved Livestock Techniques

Jamuna Devi Pandey, 36, from Bardiya in Nepal’s Lumbini Province was raised in a family of farmers and was married into one. 

She remembers the tedious task of tending to the cattle and going to the forest to collect fodder from her early ages. It got more tedious over time, because fodder was not readily available as before due to the depleting forest cover and rapid urbanization. 

But things have changed now. 

Jamuna has started cultivating highly nutritious grass such as Berseem and Napier forages near her house. This means that Jamuna does not have to go far into forests to find fodder any longer. 

She received the species of perennially productive grass through the World Bank-financed Nepal Livestock Sector Innovation Project (NLSIP) which supports smallholder farmers and agro-processing enterprises to enhance productivity, resilience, and value addition in the selected livestock value chains in Nepal. 

The project promotes climate-smart livestock technologies and practices that provide better nutrition to livestock, help increase milk and meat production at lower cost, and reduce Green House Gas (GHG) emissions. 

Through Digopan Samajik Mahila Uddhymi Cooperative, a women farmers’ group partly financed by the NLSIP, Jamuna and the farmers in her neighborhood received 38 cross-bred cows and 30 cross-bred buffaloes in addition to training on climate smart agriculture and livestock practices which has contributed to increased milk production.  

Jamuna received four cross-bred Murrah buffaloes and two cross-bred cows under the project, from which she sells 30 liters of milk a day, keeping aside six liters for the calves and two liters for her family. Until about two years ago, Jamuna could sell only 12 liters of milk a day from her two buffalos then. 

Because of the high-yielding green forage Jamuna grows now, only two tractor loads of hay suffice for a whole year— which has significantly reduced her livestock rearing cost, as well as the greenhouse gas emissions from the cattle.

Furthermore, because of the high-yielding green forage Jamuna grows now, only two tractor loads of hay suffice for a whole year — which has significantly reduced her livestock rearing cost. Most importantly, it is contributing to check greenhouse gas emissions from the cattle.

Cattle emit methene through digestion and their waste. Methene contributes to the GHG emission which affects the planet’s temperature and climate system. The dominance of nutritious green forage in the diet of the cattle plays some role in reducing the GHG emission from cattle. 

“Studies have shown that 25% of the methane production in the stomach of ruminants can be reduced by giving them good quality green grass which can be easily digested compared to the roughages such as hay and straw,” says Dr. Amar Bahadur Shah, veterinarian and team leader of NLSIP Technical Service Provider Team.

Jamuna, together with other members have constructed upgraded sheds with chaff cutters. They’ve also received an automatic milk analyzer, 350 kilograms of forage seeds and other farm equipment through NLSIP support. The group has already benefited from receipt of improved breeds of dairy animals.

The NLSIP also provided 1.70 million sets of saplings to the members of the Cooperative for forage development. The project also supplied 35 units of silage making machine to the best performing cooperatives with hands on training which will bring the change in feeding practices.

In addition, NLSIP has supported the cultivation of forage for seed production in 445 ha of land under contract farming. This has contributed to the national balance sheet of the total forage seed requirement. The project also supported 1,567 small farms in improving shed and manure management. 

Jamuna is one of the 43,895 farmers benefitting from the NLSIP’s climate-smart and improved livestock technology for enhanced productivity, resilience from bio and climate hazards, and low GHG emissions. 

Jamuna is one of the 43,895 farmers benefitting from the NLSIP’s climate-smart and improved livestock technology for enhanced productivity, resilience from bio and climate hazards, and low GHG emissions. Nepal’s Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development is implementing the NLSIP in 28 districts in five provinces of Nepal.