Established in 2017, Rapti Sonari (Banke District, Lumbini Province) is Nepal’s second-largest rural municipality (67,782 people). It spans 1,042 sq km, much of it within Banke National Park. The economy is 93% agriculture-based, focusing on paddy, maize, wheat, vegetables, and goat farming. Mustard cultivation is declining, and the dairy sector remains weak. Of ten collection centres, only two function partially. Smallholder farmers face market access challenges, and the Agriculture Development Strategy needs better implementation.

Formed in 2017, Siyari Municipality (Rupandehi District) covers 66 sq km and has 44,985 residents (2021 census) from diverse ethnic backgrounds. A major fisheries hub, it produces 30% of Nepal’s fish. Declared a fishery Super Zone in 2018-19, it offers subsidies and refrigeration support, but underutilisation, competition, and certification hurdles remain challenges.

Piloting Collaborative Action Plan-led Policy Changes for Agriculture and Fisheries using Problem-driven Iterative Adaptation (PDIA): A Learning Framework for Rapti Sonari (Banke) and Siyari (Rupandehi) Rural Municipalities

This partnership aimed to refine participatory action plan-making in Rapti Sonari (Banke) and Siyari (Rupandehi) Rural Municipalities using PDIA. Instead of testing policy outcomes, the project focused on how actions were developed, piloting inclusive, adaptive, and sustainable processes with broader impacts for smallholder farmers. The initiative strengthened local capacity to independently create and sustain effective action plans, ensuring long-term adaptability.

Key objectives included:

• Developing collaborative action planning for agriculture (Rapti Sonari) and fisheries (Siyari)
• Piloting small cycles of experimentation and learning, and 
• Enabling municipalities to lead and monitor these processes over time.

The partnership’s lessons learned were documented to serve as a model for future initiatives. The 12-month project had a total cost of £51,921, with CASA providing technical assistance.

Updated: March 2025