Capacity building training for cHC operators in Province 1, nepal

The collaboration between the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), Province 1, Nepal and CIMMYT International has been ongoing since the SRFSI and Roadmaps project in Nepal. Extending the collaboration further, a capacity gap was identified in the recently established Custom Hiring Centers (CHCs) in Province 1. A training was organized by CIMMYT in collaboration with MoA in Province 1, Nepal and Satmile Satish Club O Pathagar (SSCOP), West Bengal, India.

Three Technical Experts in the field from SSCOP facilitated the training from October 11th –16th, 2022 in Province 1, in addition to providing onsite technical support to Small Farmer Agriculture Co-operative Limited (SFACL) and Maharanijhoda and Nepal Multipurpose Co-operative Society Limited, two cooperatives from Jhapa.

The hands-on training was conducted as a machinery workshop focused on practical demonstrations with few theoretical sessions where operators from five of the six CHCs participated. The secretary of MoA-P1, Mr Meghnath Timsina, emphasised the necessity of agricultural mechanisation because of ongoing labour shortages and the labor-intensive nature of farming systems. He encouraged the participants to make the most of this initiative to build capacity while also acknowledging its significance. 

The training was well received by all participants, who also stressed the need for more hands-on technical demonstrations to strengthen the CHC operators' capacity. They all agreed that the business model shared by trainers was beneficial and that they would be able to utilize it; however, the difficulty in accessing agricultural machinery spare parts will remain a challenge for CHCs to operate. 

In the SRFSI project, we identified that mechanisation can provide an entry point for diversification. This activity builds capacity in mechanisation in Province 1, as a basis for supporting diversification in the coming phases of the Rupantar project.