KATHMANDU: The 2014 International Year of Family Farming (IYFF) underscores the significance of family farming in eradicating hunger and poverty, enhancing food security and nutrition, and improving livelihoods and wellbeing of farming households everywhere.
Climate change and other changes are already impacting temperature, rainfall, and water resources, and this has serious implication for family farming. More efficient and smarter agriculture and water management practices, coupled with latest technologies and know-hows, are needed to make family farming a viable livelihood strategy in an increasingly uncertain world.
Therefore, to mark IYFF against the backdrop of the ongoing Climate+Change Exhibition at Nepal Art Council, the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), together with partners and exhibitors from the Hindu Kush Himalayan region, is organizing a Haat Bazaar from 12-15 March 2014 at the Nepal Art Council, Babar Mahal, Kathmandu , Nepal to showcase, sell, and share agricultural technologies, practices, and products.
ICIMOD has been promoting sustainable land use and farming approaches among farmers, extension officials, students, development practitioners, and entrepreneurs for over two decades now. The ICIMOD Knowledge Park at Godavari continues to promote, demonstrate, and train farmers and other stakeholders on agricultural technologies, soil management techniques, vegetation management, water management, composting, animal husbandry, trout farming, horticulture, cultivation of high value medicinal and aromatic plants, and other income generation activities.
The Haat Bazaar brings ICIMOD and its partners together in one platform to showcase, sell, and share their products and know-hows to the general public. It will provide information on how to access markets, agricultural technologies, extension services, finance, and knowledge resources on agriculture. It will also help draw the attention of decision and policymakers to put family farming at the centre of national development.
Moreover, the Haat Bazaar will offer visitors a chance to buy a variety of unique agro-products or learn about rooftop or vertical gardening, and link farmers with wholesalers, food processors, and large grocery firms. It will offer the youth of Nepal interested in farming with innovative ideas and options, and provide an opportunity for participants to network and learn from other successful farmers.
The Haat Bazaar will strive to address issues of organic agriculture and commercial farming in keeping with ongoing trends and changes in agricultural practices, value chains, and business models. It will also feature relevant film screenings, discussion programmes, and art activities for children, among other things.
