Asia Network for Sustainable Agriculture and Bioresources

While there has been substantial consensus that climate change poses a severe threat to the Himalayan biota; we still lack comprehensive data on the potential impact of climate change on the important Himalayan medicinal plants connected with the livelihood of local people and the national economy. In this study, using MaxEnt, we modelled the distribution pattern of Rheum australe, a medicinal plant prioritized by the Government of Nepal for the nation's economic prosperity, for the current as well as all four future projections (SSP126, SSP245, SSP370, and SSP585) to all the data available periods (2021-2040, 2041-2060, 2061-2080, and 2081-2100). In addition, we performed spatial overlay analysis to identify the optimum zones that could be developed as potential planting/conservation sites for R. australe in any of the projected future climate scenarios. Our results revealed that the suitability area of R. australe is expected to contract in all the scenarios and periods with a significant loss expected to occur in SSP585 for 2081-2100. On the individual district level, northwestern districts are expected to have a huge loss of suitable habitats in the future, while four districts: Jumla, Kalikot, Dolpa, and Jajarkot of the Karnali Province are expected to gain suitable habitats remarkably. Therefore, we suggest that the forests and rangelands of the four districts at an elevation range of 3300 m - 4,400 m could be developed as potential planting areas for commercial cultivation/for establishing genetic resource conservation centres. This finding thus has wider policy implications for both government and conservation organizations.

Worldwide, with the increase in awareness of health and environmental concerns, demand for organic agricultural products is increasing, however, its adoption in Nepal at the field level is minimal (0.30% of the total agricultural land area). Exploring the history of organic agriculture could answer, “why its growth, despite the increasing demand, is minimal?” The history of organic agriculture for commerce in Nepal is little known. This study thus explores the scope and history of commercial organic agriculture in Nepal. The paper identifies a few historical landmarks of organic agriculture; and while doing so, it describes the world history of organic agriculture. The study observed that a ‘pure’ form of organic agriculture in Nepal started in 1987, when an American research scholar established a commercial farm. Since then, it advanced until 1992, and then ‘merged’ with permaculture. The organic agriculture movement rejuvenated again in 2002 into the 10th five years plan. Much of the national policy documents on organic agriculture favored ‘income’ and perceived organic products as luxurious goods. As a result, much of the innovation in organic agriculture, government priorities, and people’s perception inclined towards earning dollars rather than environmental conservation and sustainability of the farming system. The movement of organic agriculture in Nepal deviated from its philosophical grounds and the government's priority increased on earnings, resulting in some myths in the Nepalese society on organic agriculture. All these factors caused minimal growth of organic agriculture, despite its great scope at national and international levels.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop a straightforward method to quantify volume and value of postharvest losses in the tomato postharvest value chain in Nepal and estimate the monetary loss shouldered by value chain actors. Design/methodology/approach The study combines interview data to quantify volume and prices with produce sampling to quantify quality losses, and does this at four nodes of the tomato value chain in Nepal: farmers, collectors, wholesalers, and retailers to estimate volume and value of postharvest losses. Findings Almost one-fourth of the total tomato harvest weight that enters the value chain is lost before it reaches consumers, and other one-fifth is traded by the value chain actors at reduced price due to quality damage. The total volume of postharvest loss (weight and quality loss) is not the same for all value chain actors and the average monetary loss ranges from 4 percent of gross revenues for farmers to 12 percent for wholesalers. Practical implications A standard method to account for both physical weight losses and quality losses of horticultural produce is lacking in estimates of the monetary value of postharvest losses for horticultural crops. Knowing such losses is essential for postharvest technology generation, promotion, and adoption. This study provides a framework that can be adopted and improved in future loss assessment studies for estimating the volume and value of postharvest losses in a horticultural value chain. Originality/value The uniqueness of the method used in this study is that it combines interview data to estimate price and volume with produce sampling to quantify quality losses, and does this at four nodes of the value chain: farmers, collectors, wholesalers, and retailers. This method could become a standard approach for assessment of postharvest weight and quality losses and to estimate the monetary value of total postharvest losses in the value chain for horticultural crops.