Rising Incomes of Small and Medium Farmers Project (RISMFP)

Start date: 
February, 2013
End date: 
January, 2016
Beneficiaries: 
12450households
Project District : 
Dang, Bankey, Bardiya, Kailali, Surkhet, Dailekh, Doti, Dadeldhura, Accham, Baitadi, Bajura District
Client: 
ADB/GoN/DoA/RISMFP
Type of project: 
Introduction: 

The project aims to reduce the market and business risks faced by small and medium farmers diversifying into high value commodities in 10 districts of the Midwest (MWDR) and Far-West (FWDR) Development Regions of Nepal. These two regions have the lowest human development indices within Nepal due to limited investment in access to services, physical, social and economic infrastructure. Poverty incidence is, on average, high for both regions; within regions, the hill areas suffer higher rates of poverty where up to 70% of households fall below the poverty line. Small farmer incomes are limited by (i) low returns from traditional agricultural commodities, (ii) small and declining farm sizes with low productivity, and (iii) a supply-driven production system that has not captured potential market benefits for high value commodities (HVC). 
The project assists small and medium sized farmers to diversify into HVC by establishing market linkages; providing capital for inputs and improved technology; and for building post harvest value chain infrastructure including storage, packaging, grading, and processing. Project grants will be provided to (i) small and medium farmers that are members of existing farmer groups or cooperatives with established market supply agreements for initial inputs and farm technology, and (ii) post harvest enterprises for the development of value chain infrastructure to support the market supply agreements. The Project will outsource service delivery to nongovernment organizations (NGOs) and the private sector for farmer mobilization, training, production, and business planning and feasibility studies to access project funding. 

The Project contributes to the ADB level one results framework through increasing rural income, reducing poverty and increasing food security in Nepal (ADB Target 17.14% of the Asia Pacific population living on less than $1 per day by 2015) for the project, more than 95,000 individuals will move above this threshold. The level 2 country outcome performance targets are addressed through the provision of Project grants to small and medium sized enterprises (including farmer cooperatives) with the project supporting an estimated 220 enterprises and 890 farmer groups within the ADB performance target of 54,000 enterprise accounts supported. The Project contribution to the ADB level 3 operational targets is through the development of the private sector in poorer parts of rural Nepal and gender mainstreaming (ADB performance target of 40% of projects with gender mainstreaming).

Objectives: 

Fri PAD has been providing On-farm Technical Support Program to Raising Income of Small and Medium Farmers Project (RISMFP). The On-farm Production Technical Support, is primarily supporting in developing HVC production and processing technical manuals including latest agriculture technology, conducting farm awareness and training packages.

Key achievements: 
  1. Establishing agribusiness grant facility for building HVC value chains in mid-west and far-west development region supplying markets;

  2. Formulating business plans for producing and adding value to HVC in the far- west and mid-west regions;

  3. HVC technology problem and issues identification through workshop and provide solution;

  4. Prepare mushroom production technology manual; 

  5. Identify production problems and conduct a need assessment of production technology to increase market led production of identified high value fruits, vegetable and species in project area;

  6. Conducted project promotional and information dissemination workshops in four districts;

  7. Facilitate to prepare Independent Appraisal Panel (IAP) guidelines;

  8. Facilitate to prepare agribusiness grant facilitate (AGF) manual;