To improve the food and nutrition security of our impact group through sustainable agriculture practices.

The remote rural areas of Nepal, especially the mid and far western regions, are characterized by inaccessibility, marginality, and fragility. Recurrent food insecurity is a common phenomenon, and great disparity exists within the region. Women and children are undernourished and are the most vulnerable population. The landless and land poor populations in the Terai face a similar situation. This priority will enhance knowledge, skills, and develop and deliver tailored solutions to improve their food and nutrition security by employing participatory approaches to innovative agriculture development.

To achieve this objective, within five years, MADE-Nepal will:

• Identify and establish at least five locations of under-privileged farming communities in the Terai, Mid-hill and Up-hill areas for long-term development programming;
• Improve farmers’ access to quality inputs (seed, fertilizer, pesticides and equipment) through partnership with private companies and seed producer groups;
• Enhance knowledge and skills of smallholder farmers, particularly women, for sustainable production and consumption of diverse nutritious food;
• Accelerate targeted participatory crop improvement research and extension activities with focus on nutritious and resilient but under-utilized local crop species; and
• Demonstrate plot establishment for agriculture production practices for food, nutrition and income security of smallholder farmers by identifying and testing scalable agriculture technologies and practices at household and community level.

To transform subsistence agriculture into business opportunities for generating income and local employment.

The smallholder farmers, especially women and youths, require opportunities for jobs and income for their livelihood and family well-being. Our actions will focus on engaging and mobilizing them both in on-farm and off-farm economic development activities, building on experience and capital to enhance their entrepreneurial skills, creating local jobs and income opportunities, and improving access to financial services. The programme will be aligned with the government programme along with Agriculture Modernization Project to leverage resources and maximize programme synergies and impact. The programme will target (but not be limited to) selected communities along road corridors and rural-urban interface areas for sustainable production, marketing and consumption of safe and healthy food.

To achieve this objective, within five years, MADE-Nepal will:

• Initiate Community Development Fund (CDF) approach for improving local entrepreneurs’ access to financial services for the establishment of, and to scale up their agricultural and livestock-based enterprises;
• Promote market-oriented on-farm production targeting landless and land poor communities to maximize utilization of private and public waste land for income and local employment;
• Promotion of sustainable use of resources and encourage circular economy practises in production ; 
• Scale-up five to ten selected agricultural and livestock-based value chains led, financed and managed by private sectors and cooperatives; and
• Build business development and entrepreneurship skills of women and youths, especially aspirant and returnee migrants, on sustainable production and marketing of high value agricultural and livestock products.

To build adaptive capacity of climate vulnerable and disaster-prone communities for resilient livelihoods.

Farmers living in the Hills, Mountains and Terai are vulnerable to the impact of climate change and disaster risks. Working with these communities and our partners, we will work across sectors to reduce risk to the production system and integrate climate resilient technologies for managing environmental adversity. MADE-Nepal will strengthen the capacity of communities and local institutions to integrate climate change adaptation and disaster risk management plans into local planning process for accessing and leveraging resources for effective implementation of plans.

To achieve this objective, within five years, MADE-Nepal will:

• Work with local communities, and partners (national and international donor agencies) to accelerate research activities to broaden technological base for managing climate change/environmental adversity;
• Refine and scale-up champion climate-resilient technologies, practices and approaches to build adaptive capacity of climate-vulnerable and disaster-prone communities;
• Strengthen the capacity of communities and local institutions to integrate climate change adaptation and disaster risk management plans into the local planning process for leveraging resources required for effective implementation of plans;
• Develop methodology for integrating climate change adaptation and disaster risk management plans and implementation modality in new federal structure; and
• Test, validate and promote cost effective and efficient water management technologies for increasing water productivity.

Create a healthy and prosperous society by establishing a common people’s access to quality health, and sustainable WASH service.

The constitution of Nepal has provided provision for water, sanitation and hygiene as fundamental rights in Article 30 (1) and Article 35 (4).) According to the provision, every citizen has the right to live in a clean and healthy environment and right of access to clean drinking water and sanitation. 10.8 million people in Nepal do not have access to improved sanitation, and 3.5 million do not have access to basic water services. 20% of government schools lack improved water and sanitation facilities, with an additional 19 % lacking separate toilets for girls and boys and menstrual hygiene management facilities (UNICEF 2018-2022). It means every citizen should have access to adequate, acceptable for drinking, physically accessible and economically reliable clean drinking water, sanitation, and a healthy environment. SDG 6 has set a goal to “ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all by 2030 and SDG 3 has declared its objective as to “ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.” Therefore, MADE-Nepal has developed “Quality Health Sustainable WASH” strategy to support the SDGs 3 and 6.

To achieve this objective, within five years, MADE-Nepal will:

• Mobilize FCHVs and Traditional leaders to conduct awareness campaigns;
• Advocacy for and mobilization of local resources to construct necessary physical infrastructures for quality health services in partnership and collaboration with local level government;
• Promote new practices of health and nutrition by conducting advocacy, behaviour change communication, and campaigns with all level government and development partners (private and public sector) to improve basic health services;
• Mobilize MADE-Nepal target group members during the local level planning process to include WASH and basic health facilities in program and policies of local, province and federal government;
• Conduct campaigns against traditional and customary practices, and superstitions on menstruation;
• Strengthen and enhance the institutional capacity in the health and WASH sector and support to prepare policy and plan for institutional governance;
• Increase the participation of women and socially excluded group/community in the decision-making process regarding safe drinking water, sanitation, hygiene, and infrastructure development;
• Advocate for gender and disability friendly sanitation facilities in health care facilities and Schools;
• COVID-19 response campaign and awareness for government vaccination programme;