Nepal Agricultural Cooperative (NACCFL)

Established in 2008 and registered under the Department of Cooperatives, NACCFL serves as the umbrella organization for Small Farmer Agricultural Cooperatives Limited (SFACL) and primary agricultural cooperatives across Nepal. Based in Lalitpur, the organization aims to provide financial and non-financial services to its members, promoting institutional and socio-economic development for smallholder farmers (SHF). NACCFL currently supports over 1,126 member organizations, representing approximately 1 million farmers, with 80% being women. More information can be found on NACCFL website: https://www.naccfl.org.np/

Strengthening Farmer Organizations and Facilitating Smallholder Access to Commercial Markets

The initial phase of the partnership focused on enhancing the capacity of 25 selected agricultural cooperatives in Provinces 2 and 5 to reduce post-harvest losses and improve vegetable sales. As the project transitions to Phase II, the emphasis shifts to building the capacities of both NACCFL and the cooperatives to adopt climate-resilient agricultural practices in response to the threats posed by climate change, as highlighted by the recent National Climate Survey.

In Phase II, the project will provide Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) training to 27,000 SHFs and will engage with 30 new agri-cooperatives in Provinces 2, 5, and 6 to integrate CSA practices and technologies. An agriculture and climate expert team will develop a Climate Change Adaptation Manual for ongoing training of cooperatives post-project.

Additionally, 12 larger agri-cooperatives will receive support for market expansion through the development of business plans and marketing strategies, with the assistance of business consultants. This effort aims to boost operations, encourage aggregation, and incorporate more member farmers into their supply chains, thereby providing guaranteed markets. Following successful pilot outcomes, NACCFL intends to extend this expertise to other member cooperatives seeking to enhance their trading activities.

The project is set to run from August 2024 to July 2025 and includes both technical assistance and grant support. In Phase I, 13,103 farmers were trained (10,311 of whom were women), while Phase II aims to train an additional 27,000 farmers.