Sustainable Agricultural Development for Small Farmers in Nepal: Myth or Reality? 1

Small and marginal farmers in Nepal mostly depend on their farms and the forests for their livelihoods. But continued population growth and increasing demands for food, shelter and cloth have stepped up the pressure on land and other natural resources. Furthermore, there is evidence that farmers have been extending the agricultural production area largely by clearing vast tracts of virgin forest, which are a precious natural resource. This has been creating both environmental and economic problems. Because small and marginal farmers have to survive below the subsistence level, in self-perpetuating dismal conditions, ‘sustainable agricultural development’ for them remains a myth rather than a reality.