Farmers Demand Pension and Land Management Bank Amid Calls for Organic Agriculture Transition

The Agriculture Campaign for Food Security has proposed a transitional plan to shift from chemical to organic farming and urged the government to adopt it. The campaign demands social security measures for farmers, including pension schemes, farmer credit cards, agricultural insurance, and concessional loan facilities. To implement the food sovereignty guaranteed by the constitution, the campaign has called for immediate national consensus and the formulation of a federal agricultural act. Kathmandu, 23 April – Criticizing the recently released “National Commitment Document” for its inability to comprehensively develop agriculture, the Agriculture Campaign for Food Security has submitted a detailed policy and structural reform proposal to the government.

The campaign warns that the current agriculture system reliant on chemical fertilizers and pesticides severely harms soil fertility and human health. It has urged the government to immediately shift to “organic, environmental-friendly agriculture.” Coordinator Uddhav Adhikari emphasized the need for agricultural self-reliance by learning lessons from the instability caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and global geopolitical conflicts. To this end, the campaign highlights the importance of strengthening local production, indigenous crops, price regulation, and a cyclical supply system with an import substitution objective.

The proposal suggests a gradual, carefully planned transition from chemical to organic farming, rather than an abrupt ban, under a clearly defined “transitional work plan.” It advocates establishing local industries for organic fertilizers, compost, and green manure domestically as alternatives to artificial fertilizers and providing subsidies to farmers for their use. Further, it recommends incentives such as tax exemptions and customs reliefs for agriculture enterprises focusing on environmentally friendly production.

Regarding the rapid destruction of arable land amid concerns about land subdivision, the campaign demands strict land-use policies. It proposes forming a “Land Management Bank” in coordination with local authorities to conserve farmland and effectively utilize fallow land. The campaign calls for halting fragmentation, prioritizing consolidation and zoning, and strictly prohibiting the conversion of cultivable land for non-agricultural purposes under any circumstances.

To promote sustainable livelihoods based on land productivity, the campaign advises defining the minimum farm size required to maintain a living. It also suggests that farmers cultivating less than this size voluntarily should not be given priority under preferential schemes. The proposal calls for developing a positive social perception of agriculture by establishing plans that connect farmers, including youth, not just as a livelihood but as a “respected social enterprise.”

To realize this, the campaign stresses the need for proper identification and classification of genuine farmers and the implementation of “Farmer Pension,” “Farmer Credit Card,” agricultural insurance, and concessional loan arrangements. It also emphasizes prioritizing smallholder, landless, marginalized, and women farmers in state subsidies and market access.

For ensuring sovereignty over organic mapping and seeds, the campaign recommends using scientific and digital technologies, including GIS, to map agricultural biodiversity, indigenous seeds and crops, and soil status nationwide. This data should help prioritize agricultural sectors and target subsidies effectively. It proposes establishing a “Community Seed Bank” in every local government to secure farmers’ seed rights and promote the preservation and genetic improvement of indigenous seeds.

The campaign further advocates incorporating food production and agriculture as compulsory subjects from primary school onward through an integrated system to connect students with soil and labor. It calls for higher education to focus on organic and indigenous agricultural research.

In addition, it urges the abolition or adjustment of ineffective existing agricultural structures to create more powerful institutions and retraining unproductive manpower for deployment at the ward level. To eliminate duplication in government, non-governmental, and donor-funded agricultural programs, the campaign emphasizes utilizing resources effectively through a “single-window system.”

Alongside the demand for a federal agricultural act, the campaign highlights the importance of climate change risk reduction by promoting small-scale irrigation, rainwater harvesting, and perennial crops. It calls for developing geographic and biological region-specific production indicators and establishing agricultural value chains accordingly.

Having promoted sustainable agriculture and food systems for 15 years, the campaign outlines a phased plan emphasizing short-term production increases, medium-term sustainable infrastructure development, and long-term promotion of cyclical industries. To implement the constitutionally guaranteed food sovereignty, it urges the government and relevant stakeholders to urgently establish national consensus and enact the federal agricultural act.