Assessing selected crops for value chain development in Bajura and Jumla districts of Nepal

Karnali and Sudurpaschim provinces in western Nepal face persistent food insecurity, with 21.3% of mountain populations experiencing moderate to severe hunger and Jumla and Bajura districts among the most vulnerable. Subsistence farming faces significant challenges, including fragmented landholdings, male labour outmigration, complex terrain, poor market access, limited infrastructure, and weak post-harvest management. These constraints, combined with low adoption of modern technologies and traditional farming practices, limit productivity and the potential for commercialisation. Climate change further exacerbates these challenges. Rising temperatures, erratic rainfall, reduced snowfall, frequent droughts, floods, landslides, and increased pest and disease incidence have disrupted agricultural cycles, reduced soil moisture, and affected crop phenology. The report highlights critical barriers across high-potential value chains, including Jumli Marshi rice, apple, walnut, potato, and buckwheat, spanning limited input supply, post-harvest losses, inadequate processing and storage, poor market access, and dependence on intermediaries. Nevertheless, enhanced investment in community seed banks, climate-smart practices, processing infrastructure, and direct market linkages presents significant opportunities to strengthen agricultural resilience and commercialisation. A holistic value chain approach, integrating climate adaptation with improved productivity and market integration, is essential to moving farming households in these remote mountain districts beyond subsistence toward sustainable and high-value agriculture.