Quality Seed for Agriculture and Nutrition in Nepal

尼泊尔是世界上营养不良最严重的国家之一，在195个国家和地区的人类发展指数（HDI）中排名第144位（2016年HDI报告，第226页）。根据儿童基金会的资料，尼泊尔每年有5万多名儿童死亡，其中60%以上的儿童死亡的根本原因是营养不良。尼泊尔一半的儿童体重不足，75%的孕妇贫血，营养不良。造成这一问题的一个主要因素是尼泊尔农业状况不佳，特别是优质种子供应有限，作物品种选择不佳和种植效率低下。这抑制了农业经济，严重限制了营养和健康食品的供应，特别是在山区，因为那里的地形困难，无法进入当地市场。我们的项目旨在实现联合国可持续发展目标SDG 2（零饥饿：消除饥饿，实现粮食安全和改善营养，促进可持续农业）。我们将发展私营部门企业，以改善尼泊尔健康状况的国际努力为基础，包括美国国际开发署基于知识的综合可持续农业和营养计划（KISAN，2013-2018）。在我们的研究中，我们解决的两个棘手的挑战是尼泊尔的长期营养不良和农业状况差。我们将在英国的John Innes Centre和CN Seeds Ltd以及尼泊尔的Sarba Shrestha Seeds Ltd Pvt之间建立伙伴关系。我们将在各组织之间开展知识交流活动，以转让植物健康和作物改良技术方面的技能和方法。我们将确定营养丰富的芸苔属蔬菜品种，这些品种富含维生素和矿物质，特别是铁，并改进种子包装技术，以改善其种植。在尼泊尔的一个示范农场，我们将建立示范田，向农民展示新的种植方法，以及改进种子质量和包装如何提高产量。我们将进行监测、评估和学习（MEL）审计，以评估我们工作的影响，并提供有关品种偏好、种子性能和新栽培品种影响的反馈，使我们能够更有效地针对未来的活动。它将改善尼泊尔人民的农业自给自足和健康与福祉，减少他们对膳食补充剂和进口农作物的依赖。

Nepal is one of the most undernourished countries in the world ranking 144th on the Human Development Index (HDI) out of 195 countries and territories (HDI 2016 Report, p.226). According to UNICEF, more than 50,000 children die each year in Nepal, with malnutrition as the underlying cause for more than 60 per cent of these deaths. Half of the children in Nepal are underweight and 75% of pregnant women are anaemic and experience poor nutrition. A major contributing factor to this problem is the inadequate state of agriculture in Nepal, especially the limited availability of good quality seed, poor choice of crop cultivars and inefficient cultivation practises. This suppresses the agricultural economy and severely limits the availability of nutritious, healthy food especially in the mountainous regions where the difficult terrain prevents access to local markets. Our project addresses United Nations Sustainable Development Goals SDG2 (Zero Hunger: end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture). We will develop private sector enterprise that builds on international efforts to improve health in Nepal including the USAID programme Knowledge-based Integrated Sustainable Agriculture and Nutrition (KISAN, 2013-2018). The two intractable challenges we address in our research are chronic malnutrition and the poor state of agriculture in Nepal. We will establish a partnership between the John Innes Centre and CN Seeds Ltd in the UK, and Sarba Shrestha Seeds Ltd Pvt in Nepal. We will undertake knowledge exchange activities between the organisations to transfer skills and methods in plant health and crop improvement technologies. We will identify nutritious brassica vegetable cultivars which are rich in vitamins and minerals, especially iron, and improve seed packaging technology to improve their cultivation. At a Model Farm in Nepal, we will establish demonstration plots to show farmers about new cultivation methods and how improved seed quality and packaging can improve their yields. We will undertake a monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) audit to evaluate the impact of our work and provide feedback about cultivar preferences, seed performance and the impact of new cultivation practises that will enable us to target future activities more effectively. It will improve agricultural self-sufficiency and the health and well-being of the people of Nepal, reducing their dependence on diet supplements and imported crop produce.