Transfer of the draft of the Local Government Agriculture Act

National Farmers Group Federation Nepal has handed over the draft of the local government agriculture act to Badaiyatal village municipality through a program. On behalf of the Federation of National Farmers Group, Lumbini State Working Committee Chairperson Sarvajit Bista handed over the draft of the Act to Deepa Kumari Gautam, Vice-Chairperson of Badaiyatal Village Municipality in the presence of journalists. At the handover ceremony on behalf of the federation, central member Khemraj Ghimire, Lumbini state president Sarvajit Bista, state secretariat member Kumar Shahi, and other employees of the project run by the federation, and on behalf of the village vice-chairman and chief administrative officer were present. Speaking on the occasion, State President Bista said that the draft of the Agriculture Act has been prepared after discussions with various stakeholders related to agriculture and local bodies at different stages. 

The agriculture sector is the sole area of ​​jurisdiction granted to the local level by the Constitution of Nepal 2072 BS. The local level agriculture act seems indispensable to address the needs and problems of the farmers at the policy level but unfortunately, most of the local levels have not been able to formulate their own agriculture act. According to Khemraj Ghimire, a central member of the federation, the National Farmers Group has taken the initiative to formulate the Agriculture Act as an organization that is constantly advocating for the rights of farmers at the policy level. The National Federation of Farmers has been assisting the local municipalities in the process of drafting laws across the country in collaboration with various organizations including LI-BIRD and CARE NEPAL. The draft Agriculture Act, prepared through phased discussions with farmers, local bodies concerned with farmers, and people's representatives, includes provisions related to farmer identification, classification, protection, and empowerment, provisions related to agricultural land use, agricultural insurance, grants, and concessional loans, social security, nutrition gardens, management of Agri enterprises. , Covers important issues such as product support prices.