In 2023, IIDS with support from PRCI and IFPRI conducted a scoping study of Nepal’s Agriculture Development Strategy of Nepal (ADS) (2015-2035) to illustrate the achievements and progress of ADS in five years and the corresponding strategy the government, especially the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development (MoALD), is adopting in the country’s new federal system. By tracking the implementation, the PRCI supported study has identified the progress made and related policy gaps and provided recommendations to address the emerging challenges within the context of Nepal’s evolving federalism.
As a follow up to this study, IIDS, with PRCI support, organized a hybrid workshop on 'Policy Research: Development of Policy Briefs on Agricultural Transformation' in November 2023 in Kathmandu, Nepal for emerging researchers, scholars, and practitioners. The workshop featured training in evidence-based policy research and discussions on Agricultural Transformation as part of IIDS' Structural Reform 2.0 initiative. Participants acquired research skills, formulated strategic papers for evidence-based policymaking, and adhered to the IIDS-PRCI model, emphasizing demand-driven research and utilizing the latest research methodology tools to collaboratively work on policy briefs relevant to Structural Reform 2.0. The workshop had 35 participants, incorporating virtual participation from an international trainers who gave a session on trade flow analysis using the BACI database. Workshop included resource persons from renowned institutions, including the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Development (MoALD), Chiang Mai University, IFPRI-USA-Bangladesh, USAID, UN-ESCAP, KU Thailand, IIDS, and NAES.
During the workshop, ten thematic areas were identified, and a total of 18 authors and coauthors were meticulously chosen to collaboratively work on policy briefs relevant to Structural Reform 2.0. These selected ideas and themes were thoughtfully aligned with other concurrent research programs at IIDS. A follow up workshop to highlight the progress made by the authors on the briefs is scheduled for Feb 2024. A notable aspect of the training involved the presentation of a White Paper by IIDS on the 'Current Economic Situation and Challenges.' This document served to elucidate how Agricultural Transformation integrates into the broader reform agenda under Structural Reform 2.0. The continued collaboration with key policy stakeholders on the comprehensive insights provided during this session reflects the collective knowledge and experience shared by the distinguished resource persons and participants alike.