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    Socioeconomic impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the dairy value chain in western Nepal

    • Research Project Location: Nepal
    • Timeframe: 2024 - 2025
    • Funding: USAID

    Introduction

    How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected people involved in the dairy value chain in Nepal? By understanding socioeconomic effects and how this sector adapted or not, we can help this sector recover and prepare for future challenges. 

    Project Goal & Objectives

    The project's overarching goal is to assess the socioeconomic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the dairy value chain in Nepal. Specific objectives are to:

    • Understand differences across districts and farm categories
    • Determine appropriate interventions to cope with the adverse impacts of the pandemic
    • Empower youth, women, and others involved in the dairy value chain

    Background

    In Nepal, dairy livestock are important for supporting household nutrition and prosperity. Yet responses to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic are not well documented. Little is known about access to feed, fodder, veterinary services, and market information. Moreover, individual farmers, dairy co-operatives, regional milk-collectors and chilling centers, large dairy entrepreneurs, dairy input suppliers, and end consumers are adapting to these current highly volatile conditions.

    How have these changes impacted the health and socioeconomic condition of children, local youth, women, and marginalized groups? Also, information on differential effects of the pandemic on the dairy farmers in the mid-hills and terai and on locally based small-holder dairy farmers (shorter value chain) and larger-scale commercial dairy farmers (longer value chain) are lacking.

    Approach

    We will conduct a detailed value chain analysis of the dairy sector and assess the impacts of COVID-19 on each node of the value chain. Both qualitative and quantitative data will be collected for the study. The study will mainly be based on primary data collected from the study sites through surveys.

    Dairy Nepal

    Figure: Graphical representation of formal and informal/local dairy value chains in Nepal.

    Principal Investigator (PI) and lead institution

    Gerrit Hoogenboom

     

     

     

     

    Gerrit Hoogenboom, University of Florida

     

    Co-PI and collaborator institutions

    • Ujjal Tiwari, Agriculture and Forestry University (AFU), Nepal
    • Praseed Thapa, AFU, Nepal
    • Subhash Chandra Chaudhary, FORWARD, Nepal
    • Albert De Vries, University of Florida
    • Vijaya Raj Joshi, University of Florida

    Resources

    Project poster

    Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Livestock Systems is part of Feed the Future

    This work was funded in whole or part by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Bureau for Resilience, Environment and Food Security under Agreement # AID-OAA-L-15-00003 as part of Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Livestock Systems. Additional funding was received from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation OPP#060115.  Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed here are those of the authors alone.

     

     

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    Contact

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    Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Livestock Systems
    P.O. Box 110910, Gainesville, Florida 32611-0910
    (352) 294-1064

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