Understanding barriers and opportunities for scaling sustainable and inclusive farmer-led irrigation development in Nepal

Abstract

Nepal has abundant water resources, but over 60% of irrigable lands owned by smallholder farmers don't have irrigation access. Many smallholder farmers and women farmers lack water for agriculture, drinking, sanitation, and other domestic uses. Nepal’s Tarai region is considered as an area with huge potential for surface and groundwater-based irrigation development. But the drivers and constraints for scaling of irrigation development remain poorly understood. This study therefore aimed at assessing opportunities, and barriers for scaling sustainable and inclusive farmer-led irrigation development in the Feed the Future Zone of Influence (FtF ZoI) region in Western Tarai from a qualitative social science perspective.