Back to news
23 Feb 2024 | Press releases

MoALD teams up with ICIMOD to boost agricultural planning and monitoring

3 mins Read

70% Complete
Photo: Jitendra Raj Bajracharya/ICIMOD.

Kathmandu, 12 February 2024 – The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Department (MoALD) in Nepal and The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) on 12 February 2024.

This collaboration aims to strengthen crop assessment and preparedness for climate-related risks in Nepal. It underscores the commitment of both parties to address agricultural challenges through advanced Earth Observation (EO) technologies.

Hunger and food insecurity remains stubbornly high in Nepal, where 14.6% of the population are food insecure and 5.4% are malnourished. The issue, compounded by climate change and poor harvesting practices, is particularly acute in Karnali Province with 24.1% percent of households moderately and severely food insecure.

While the Government of Nepal already monitors food security, this agreement will increase access to reliable and timely information to support planning and policy-making.

Under the LoI, ICIMOD and MoALD will work together to develop and disseminate innovative approaches for agricultural planning and monitoring, advisories for farmers, and food security assessments, all supported by ICT and EO technologies.

The LoI was signed by Dr. Pema Gyamtsho, Director General of ICIMOD, and Dr. Govinda Prasad Sharma, Secretary of MoALD. Dr. Rajendra Prasad Mishra, Joint Secretary of MoALD, and Birendra Bajracharya, The Chief of the Party for SERVIR-HKH initiative, also attended the signing ceremony.

In his key remarks, Dr. Govinda Prasad Sharma, Secretary of MoALD, said, “ICIMOD stands as a robust support in our pursuit of reliable and precise agricultural data. This mutual relationship fosters a two-way commitment, where the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development (MOALD) and ICIMOD collaborate to enhance the accuracy of our data through satellite technology. This Letter of Intent (LOI) ceremony signifies a milestone in developing more precise information, supporting our government’s capacity in geographical information systems, and addressing concerns about loss and damage. With ICIMOD’s support, we are enriching our data generation systems and laying a strong foundation for policy tools and planning for the upcoming agricultural monitoring”.

Dr. Rajendra Prasad Mishra, Joint Secretary of MoALD, expressed his zest for the partnership, stating, “Through a partnership with ICIMOD, our journey in agricultural advancement has been enriched, especially in crop area estimation using cutting-edge GIS and remote sensing technology. The collaboration has yielded successful results in rice area estimation and facilitated capacity building, technology transfer, and development in diverse areas. With a formalised Letter of Intent (LOI), we are set to deepen our engagement, exploring wider horizons in GIS and remote sensing technologies in crop monitoring and loss and damage assessment. Together, we strive to validate and enhance data, contributing to a more resilient and innovative future in agriculture.”

Pema Gyamtsho, Director General of ICIMOD, emphasised the collaborative goal of empowering government stakeholders with actionable insights derived from crop assessment data. He stated, “ICIMOD has forged a collaborative journey with the MoALD since 2016. Accuracy of data is important for planning and informed decisions. We diligently pursue data accuracy by employing GIS, remote sensing, and modelling techniques. Acknowledging the significance of informed decision-making and planning, our goal is to bridge gaps in interventions through precise data. This information assessment not only empowers us with planning tools but also underscores the importance of proper preparation for climate-related disasters. We are committed to extend our full support to the Ministry.”

This partnership builds upon the collaboration between ICIMOD and MoALD to leverage emerging EO technologies alongside field-based assessments to provide timely information crucial for assessing agriculture production estimates, drought warnings, climate services for agriculture, and food situation assessment. These efforts will play a pivotal role in strengthening food security-related planning and decision-making processes across Nepal.


For media inquiries, please contact:

Neraz Tuladhar (Raz), Media Officer
Email: media@icimod.org

Stay current

Stay up to date on what’s happening around the HKH with our most recent publications and find out how you can help by subscribing to our mailing list.

Sign Up
5 Sep 2025 Press releases
Regional cooperation key to unleashing power of renewables, major report finds

Regional cooperation in trade, infrastructure, technology and skills crucial for states to meet surging demand ...

1 Mar 2016 Press releases
Nepal gears up to build earthquake resistant structures using bamboo

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="560"] Agni Prasad Sapkota, Minister of Forest and Soil Conservation ...

4 Feb 2019 Press releases
Landmark study: Two-degree temperature rise could melt half of glaciers in Hindu Kush Himalaya region, destabilizing Asia’s rivers

“This is the climate crisis you haven’t heard of,” said Philippus Wester of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development ...

15 May 2023 Media Advisory
MOCHA hours away from making devastating landfall in Myanmar and Bangladesh

Read in chinese   Extremely Severe Cyclonic Storm Mocha is ...

12 Jan 2024 Press releases
FAO and ICIMOD Partner to Foster Sustainable Development in Mountain Regions

12 January 2024, Kathmandu, Nepal The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the International Centre for Integrated ...

22 Dec 2020 KDKH
Stakeholders call for more transboundary cooperation to address disaster risk in the Koshi River basin

Earlier this year, the South Asian floods of 2020 were declared a humanitarian crisis when millions across the subcontinent were ...

14 Dec 2015 Press releases
Glaciers reveal mountain precipitation is twice as high-Himalayan snowfall underestimated

The amount of snow and rain in the Himalaya is about twice as high as commonly assumed. Research in the ...

8 Jun 2022 Press releases
Adaptation solutions portal launched

Kathmandu, 8 June: ICIMOD’s Resilient Mountain Solutions (RMS) Initiative is pleased to announce the launch of its