Fundamentals ofSustainable Agriculture and

Rural Development

Binayak P. Rajbhandari, PhD

Fundamentals of Sustainable Agricultureand Rural DevelopmentISBN: 978-9937-2-9544-4

© Author

Author: Binayak P Rajbhandari

First edition: 2015

Price: NRE 550/-

PublisherHICASTKalanki, Kathmandu, P O Box 25535Nepalhttp://www.hicast.edu.np/info@hicast.edu.np

Printed in Nepal

CitationRajbhandari, B.P. 2015. Fundamentals ofsustainable agriculture and rural development.Kathmandu: HICAST Publication. ISBN: 978-9937-2-9544-4: 180 pp., ill.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PREFACE (pp. VI-VII)1. SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOODS AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT

(pp. 1-43)1.1. Background1.2. Conceptual framework1.3. Sustainable livelihoods approach1.4. Basic features and dimensions of

sustainable livelihoods1.4.1. Basic features1.4.2. Dimensions of sustainable

livelihoods1.5. Critique of the conventional development

model1.6. Rethinking political spaces from gender

perspective1.7. The challenges

1.7.1. Poverty and EnvironmentalDegradation

1.7.2. Biological Diversity, IPRs andSustainable Livelihood

1.7.3. Diversity among South Asian womenand their livelihoods

1.7.4. Patterns of vulnerability1.8. Issues and concerns regarding access to

capital assets 1.8.1. Background1.8.2. Human capital1.8.3. Natural capital1.8.4. Social capital1.8.5. Physical capital1.8.6. Political capital1.8.7. Financial capital1.8.8. Impact of cultural institutions

on access to and control overresources

1.9. Livelihood strategies1.9.1. Livelihood strategies1.9.2. Livelihood outcomes1.9.3. Local initiatives- the seeds of

change1.10. General implications of SLAs for

sustainable rural development1.10.1. Need for organizational change1.10.2. Entry points and collective

empowerment1.10.3. Long term intervention and social

mobilization

1.10.4. Building linkages 1.10.5. Environmental sustainability and

sustainable agriculture1.10.6. Implementation of SLA linking

with Rights-Based Approach 1.11. General conclusions and suggestions

1.11.1. Conclusions1.11.2. Suggestions

2. FOOD SECURITY AND CLIMATE CHANGE (pp. 44-58)2.1. Food / Nutrition Security2.2. Climate Change2.3. Vulnerability to food / nutrition

security3. HISTORICAL ACCOUNT OF NEPALESE AGRICULTURE

(pp. 59-79)3.1. Planning and development priorities3.2. Agricultural policies, acts, regulations,

orders, plans and programmes 3.2.1. Agricultural policies, acts,

regulations and orders3.2.2. National agricultural policy3.2.3. Agricultural plans and programmes

3.3. Problems and prospects of Nepaleseagriculture3.3.1. Policy gaps in research,

education and extension triangle 3.3.2. The current agricultural and

marketing extension system 3.3.3. Environmental sustainability

issue in agricultural policy 3.3.4. Human and institutional capacity

and the policy environment

3.3.5. Physical and financial capacitygaps in the policy environment

3.3.6. Mainstreaming gender intoagriculture and rural development

4. SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT(pp. 80-257)4.1. Concept and definition 4.2. Historical account of SARD4.3. Agro-ecological principles of SARD 4.4. Agro-ecological strategies for SARD 4.5. Promising types of farming4.6. Emerging farming systems 4.7. Bio-intensive farming system4.8. Symphonic approach to SARD 4.9. Comparative properties of natural

ecosystem, and sustainable andconventional agro-ecosystem

4.10. Carrying capacity of the resources4.11. Basic technical elements of agro-

ecological strategy for SARD4.11.1. Strategies to reduce land

degradation4.11.2. Indigenous knowledge

generation and sharing system

4.11.3. Management of renewableresources

4.11.4. Employment and incomegeneration

4.11.5. Measurement ofenvironmental protection

4.11.6. Effects of agro-ecologicalproduction

strategies and activities invarious parts of the globe

5. CONVERSION OF CONVENTIONAL AGRICULTURAL FARMSINTO AGRO-ECOLOGICAL FARMS (pp. 158-161)5.1. Factors encouraging conversion

process 5.2. Conversion principles 5.3. Conversion period and process

6. EVALUATION OF SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE (pp.162-166)6.1. Characteristics of MESMIS framework6.2. General structure of the MESMIS

framework6.3. Implementation procedure of MESMIS

framework

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES (pp. 167-180)

PREFACE

The issues about food and nutrition security,poverty reduction, equality, social justice,sustainable livelihoods, and sustainablerural development have resumed good space inthe national, regional and globaldiscussions. Case studies from variouscountries show that over time sustainableagriculture and rural development (SARD)approach based on agro-ecological principleshas exhibited more stable levels of totalproduction per unit area than high-inputsystems; has produced economically favorablerates of return; has provided a return to

labor and other inputs sufficient for alivelihood acceptable to small farmers andtheir families; and has ensured soilprotection and conservation; and has enhancedagro-biodiversity. With increasing evidenceand awareness of the advantages of SARD, whyhasn’t it spread more rapidly and how can itbe multiplied and adopted or scaled up morewidely? In Nepalese context, technological orecological inventions and intentions are notenough. That requires changes in policies,institutions, and research and development inorder to ensure that agro-ecologicalalternatives are adopted, made equitably andbroadly accessible, and multiplied so thattheir full benefit for sustainable food andnutrition security can be realized. Existingsubsidies and policy incentives forconventional chemical approaches must bedismantled and institutional structures,partnerships, and educational processes mustbe changed to enable the agro-ecologicalapproach to blossom. In addition,participatory farmer-to-farmer methods oftechnology development and scaling up throughModel Demonstration Farms must beincorporated. The challenge today is toincrease investment and promulgate education-research-extension activities in regard toagro-ecology; and scale up the innovationsthat have already proven successfulelsewhere. That will generate a meaningfulimpact on the income, food and nutrition

security, and environmental well-being of thepopulation, especially millions of resource-poor farmers who are yet untouched by modernagricultural technology and innovations.These concept and understandings served to bethe basis of incorporating SARD as a corecourse in the curriculum at HICAST inaffiliation with Purbanchal University,Nepal.

This book is compiled based on my research,teaching and development activities duringthe last 15 years. This is the first book ofits kind which consists of 6 chapters. Thefirst chapter presents insights onsustainable livelihoods. The second chapterbriefly discusses on food security andclimate change with reference to Nepal. Thethird chapter presents historical account ofNepalese agriculture. The fourth chapter isabout the concept, approach, strategies andvarious aspects of SARD. The fifth chapterdeals with the concept, principles andprocesses of conversion of conventional farmsinto agro-ecological farm while the sixthchapter discusses about structures andprocedures of evaluation of sustainableagriculture. Relevant research findings, casestudies and reviews published in variousforms have been extensively used in the text.I would like to acknowledge all the authorslisted in the bibliography and referenceswhose publications and contributions in the

field of SARD and agro-ecology helped tobring this book in light in this shape andcontents.

This book is recommended for the students,researchers, teachers, development workersand policy makers to understand and make useof the knowledge of sustainable livelihoods,food security, sustainable agriculture andrural development from resource-poor farmersand micro-entrepreneurs’ perspectives.

Binayak P. Rajbhandari, PhD