Pradhan launches book on hill farming

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, May 29: A book titled Planning for Agriculture Development by first-generation horticulturist Shiv Bahadur Nepali Pradhan has been published.

“Family farming refers to an agricultural system in which family members themselves mainly work as labourer in managing the farm,” said 90-year-old horticulture expert Pradhan. 

“Though we had been celebrating the Year of Family Farming for a long time, I felt it would be useful to present this document in book form at a time when its core values have been forgotten.”

Pradhan said that when the United Nations and the Food and Agriculture Organization declared 2014 as the “International Year of Family Farming,” the main objective was to bring family farming to the core of national policies and address the challenges faced by small farmers. 

Inspired by this, he converted the study he conducted in 1981 while studying at the University of Reading in the United Kingdom into a book.

The book highlights measures such as improving irrigation systems, terrace management, using improved seeds, applying compost manure, and promoting advanced livestock farming to increase productivity. 

It also points out that access to drinking water and the practice of keeping livestock in sheds can reduce household labour burdens and improve productivity. In addition, the book emphasizes that non-agricultural employment opportunities can provide supplementary income.

Previously, senior horticulturalist Pradhan has published an autobiography “Krishima Mero Bato” (“My Journey in Agriculture”) and another work titled “Nepal Conscious Social Order”, in which he discusses development challenges and possible solutions. His memoir titled “5:25” has also been published, reflecting on memories with his wife Gauri Rani Pradhan.