July 25, Kathmandu
On Wednesday, Global Shapers Kathmandu Hub successfully concluded the third session of its Global Talk Series under the GRAPE Project, with support from GIZ Nepal. The session ran under the theme Policies for Progress: Enabling Environments for Sustainable Agriculture.
Vanshica Kant, a climate, social, and human development expert at the Asian Development Bank’s Delhi Office was the keynote speaker of the event.
The session also had a panel discussion on Strategic Pathways for Achieving Sustainable Agriculture in Nepal: Policy, Implementation and Collaboration. This panel featured representatives from various sectors including the government, development agencies, the private sector and academia.
Brinda Kathayat, Member of Federal Parliament, Ashmita Gautam from FAO, Sunita Nhempahuki, founder of R&D Innovative Solution and Krishna P. Poudel, agricultural policy analyst and activist were the panellists of the discussion.
Kant reasoned why sustainable agriculture is critical for humans since 25-30% of global greenhouse gas emissions come from this sector and one-third of food produced is wasted globally. She also touched on how to facilitate policies towards sustainable agriculture transition.
“We must establish innovative financing and cooperation models for sustainable, inclusive and equitable agriculture to facilitate this transition,” said Kant.
Speaking at the discussion Brinda Kathayat emphasized the importance of sustainable agriculture in Nepal.
“There hasn’t been adequate attention given to this sector. That must change for this sector to thrive and be an economic driver,” said Kathyat. “Collaboration between different sectors and experts is of utmost importance for the growth and development of sustainable agriculture.”
