LocationsRevival of indigenous crops is strengthening nutrition, increasing farmers' incomes, and connecting them directly to the market.
Indigenous crops help farmer double their food production
October 16, 2026
Photo: UNDP Nepal
This year, Chino has moved from small household plots towards commercial production in Syalbada, helping farmers strengthen food security, diversify their diets and reconnect this indigenous crop with markets. At around 2,500 metres of altitude, the fields of Syalbada provide favourable climate for Proso Millet (Chino), a crop that can withstand dry and drought condition and remains important where irrigation is limited. It grows well in the climate of mid-hills and high hills in Western Nepal. It fits perfectly with naturally farming methods there. Chino is also rich in carbohydrates, fiber, protein, calcium and iron, making it a nutritious addition to local diets.
On September 23rd of 2026, Rajkanya Rokaya was harvesting ripe Chino. For many years prior to this, the family had grown Chino as a cash crop in small plots with other crops like foxtail millet (Kaguno), finger millet, buckwheat and Jumli Beans. “We had always grown it only for our own food,” she said.
That was largely because limited market opportunities made it difficult for Rajkanya’s family to see Chino as a source of income. This year, however, that is beginning to change. With support from the Renewable Energy for Resilient Agri-Food Systems (RERAS) project, Rajkanya and other farmers began collective Chino farming in Syalbada, Chandannath Municipality- 8, Jumla. They are already planning to grow another indigenous crop together next year. The collective farm covers about three hectares of land and has been designated as an indigenous crop block.
Photo: UNDP Nepal
Rajkanya’s family of four depends on farming for their livelihood. She spends her days working in the fields. Her husband, Singh Bahadur works as a mason during the winter months. For six months, he helps with seasonal farming. Their land is fertile. Supports a wide range of crops. Each year, they harvest around 600 kg of red Marsi rice. They consume some at home and send along Jumli beans and millet flour to their two sons, one living in Kathmandu and the other studying in grade 12 in Dhangadhi. “Indigenous nutrient-dense crops are good for health, so we send them,” Rajkanya says. They sell the surplus, as the crop has an established market, with cooperatives buying it directly from farmers’ homes at Rs. 150 per kg.
Photo: UNDP Nepal
Support for Chino included improved seeds and technical assistance, as well as improvements to cattle sheds so farmers could produce and manage farmyard manure. The initiative is being implemented with a farmers’ group called Indigenous crop, fruit, and vegetable production group in Syalbada, which has 27 women members. These efforts together are helping move Chino beyond household consumption towards a more connected system of production, nutrition, income and local markets.
For food security
The project supports farmers, women, young people and marginalised communities to grow indigenous crops and develop home gardens. The USD 12.54 million project is jointly funded by the Royal Norwegian Embassy, the Embassy of Finland and United Nations Development Programme, and implemented with local governments and partners in 28 local governments of 10 districts across four provinces. Its interventions connect agriculture and food systems through the water-food-energy nexus.
Among supported households, 36 percent have expanded the area used to grow vegetables and indigenous crops. While the focus is on improving food diversity, for household consumption increased production is also creating chances to sell surplus and earn money.
Photo: UNDP Nepal
In Jumla and Bajura farmers are growing nutritious crops including finger millet, Kaguno, Chino, buckwheat, bajra, sorghum, Jumli beans and red Marsi rice. As food consumption patterns change these crops are being ignored more and more in communities where they have been grown for a long time. The ‘Indigenous Recipe Book’ of this project brings together nutritious recipes using locally available crops and ingredients, helping reconnect indigenous foods with everyday diets, nutrition and household food security.
At the key role
Women play a profound role in bringing indigenous crops back to fields and local food systems. In Jumla, agriculture depends heavily on women’s labour as many men migrate for work. In Syalbada, farmers are working collectively to increase production and create income opportunities. Maya Rana, chairperson of the Indigenous crop, fruit, and vegetable production group, says better market links are changing farmers’ incentives.
Photo: UNDP Nepal
“In the past, we produced these crops, but reaching the market was difficult. Middlemen would come to village, buy our produce on credit and take it away. Sometimes we were paid, sometimes we were not, and even when we were paid, the price was low,” she says. “Now that we are linked to markets through our farmers’ group and cooperative, we hope to receive a fair price. This has encouraged us to grow Chino commercially and bring indigenous crops back into production.” The opportunity has also helped revive the farmers’ group, which was registered in 2023 and has all women as its members. They save Rs. 50 each month, while members facing emergencies can borrow from the group at a nominal interest rate.
The adoption of improved agricultural tools and technologies has encouraged farmers to see farming as a more viable commercial enterprise, Maya says. Harvesting and threshing Chino has traditionally been a tedious and labor-intensive process, requiring significant time and effort from farming households. The introduction of an energy-operated multi-crop thresher has made the process faster and less labour-intensive, reduced production costs and increased gross margins.
Photo: UNDP Nepal
“The threshing process used to take a lot of our time and energy,” Maya says. “With the machine, we can complete the work much faster and more efficiently.”
Maya is also growing Chino and produces enough to meet her household needs. She sends indigenous crops and cereals to her husband, who works in Kathmandu, and to their two children studying there.
A cooperative model
At 55, Batuli Sarki, a member of the Gaihrabhawani farmers’ group in Dhaulapani, Tatopani Rural Municipality, continues to grow indigenous crops and sell them to Dhauligad Agriculture Cooperative Ltd. In fiscal year 2025/26, she sold 70 kg of chino and 75 kg of kaguno to the cooperative. She earned Rs. 6,300 from chino and Rs. 6,750 from kaguno, selling both crops at Rs. 90 per kg. In the previous year, she earned Rs. 3,200 from chino and Rs. 4,000 from kaguno, when the price was Rs. 80 per kg. She is now harvesting and anticipates producing more than 100 kg of each crop this year. According to Kabita Jaisi, chairperson at Dhauligad, the price of both crops has risen further to Rs. 100 per kg this year. She says Batuli has the potential to earn more this year, as the price of both crops has increased to Rs. 100 per kg.
Photo: UNDP Nepal
Batuli lives in a six-member household with her husband, son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren. Her husband and son work as masons, while the family also grows seasonal grains, fruits and vegetables. Batuli has received support to produce vermicompost, improving the supply of organic fertiliser for her crops.
The women-led Dhauligad Cooperative focuses on conserving and promoting indigenous crops. Its Haku community seed bank began conserving indigenous crop seeds in 2020. Since the cooperative was registered in 2023, collection and marketing have increased. It now has 149 members, 19 men and 130 women.
By collecting and selling indigenous crops, the cooperative has created a market even for farmers producing small quantities. “Before farmers who had only four or five kg to sell had no market. Now, there is a market for them,” says Gokarna Jaisi, the cooperative manager.
Photo: UNDP Nepal
Jumla’s complex geography once made the district largely self‑reliant in nutrient‑dense food with indigenous crops at the heart of local food systems. When road connectivity improved and made it easier to import food from outside internal production, in Jumla began to decline. Low prices further discouraged farmers.
Cooperatives are helping change this by connecting farmers with markets. Farmers are also being trained to prepare and use bio-pesticides for pest and disease management. Practices of using herbicide such as Butachlor on red Marsi rice are gradually declining as farmers adopt more locally appropriate and environmentally friendly approaches.
The cooperative provides crop seeds to farmers on a seed-loan basis. After harvest, farmers return the same amount, while the cooperative buys the grain they produce. It also collects and markets produce from non-members. “We are working towards a ‘one member, one crop’ approach,” says Gokarna, the manager of Dhauligad Cooperative. What he noticed is that since 2023, areas of cultivation, production and productivity of Kaguno, Chino, buckwheat, and red Marsi rice has increased due to quality of seed and improved cultivation practices.
Photo: UNDP Nepal
In fiscal year 2025/26, the cooperative sold 14 tonnes of seeds reaching farmers beyond Jumla, including Kalikot, Achham and Chitwan. Bringing back crops in Jumla is not just about growing traditional plants again; farmers see them as more than food. By linking seeds, production and markets the cooperative helps farmers to see indigenous crops not only as traditional food but also as a livelihood opportunity and a base for local food security.
Support also goes beyond production, to processing, storage, packaging and marketing. The monthly rent of Rs. 6,300 for the Dhauligad Cooperative’s office, storehouse and processing shed is covered, while equipment includes an electric grain milling machine, Jumli bean processing machine, computer, printer, seed moisture meter, packaging machine and digital weighing equipment. The local government has provided a seed storage bin. The Department of Agricultural Development, Harihar Bhawan, has registered seeds of Lal Marsi rice, Amaranthus (Latte) and Barley produced by cooperative members.
Organic cake
Indigenous crops are also finding their way into local businesses. In Khalanga, Jumla, Black Stone Bakery uses buckwheat, millet and wheat to make cakes, bread and cookies. Bakery manager Abinash Budthapa says they began using these crops about six months ago to encourage local farmers to grow them.
Photo: UNDP Nepal
Abinash, 29, has run the bakery for nearly a decade. He learned baking in Kathmandu with plans to go to Australia but changed his mind after hearing about the difficulties his friends faced finding work abroad. He returned to Jumla and started his own business after taking a basic bakery course in 2018.
Today, he makes cakes using buckwheat, millet and wheat, as well as millet bread and cookies. For this, he was inspired by his mother, Durgadebi Neupane, 54, who used to make buckwheat cakes by steaming the batter in a momo steamer. As a former agriculture student, he is also motivated to promote indigenous crops, he says.
He buys buckwheat, millet and wheat from local farmers through Chandannath Multipurpose Cooperative, purchasing around 60 kg of each crop per season. The bakery’s products are already reaching Mugu, Dolpa and Kalikot as gifts and local products, while Abinash is exploring wider commercial markets. The bakery and cafe employ four people.
In December 2025, he installed a large electric oven with a grant of Rs. 495,000 from RERAS. The oven cost nearly Rs. 1,000,000. While his previous oven could bake 48 muffins in 90 minutes, the new one can bake 144 at the same time. “This saves time and gives me more time to work on other business plans and ideas,” he says. “That is also why I have introduced indigenous crops into my bakery.” He has now given up plans to go abroad and is focused on thriving his bakery in Jumla and creating more value from homegrown crops.
Strengthening farming support systems
An organic mart at Chandannath Multipurpose Cooperative in Jumla displays the local prices digitally of indigenous products. Red Marsi rice, Jumli beans, millet, Chino, Kaguno, jimbu and buckwheat flour are among the products available. Chandannath Municipality is also supporting indigenous crops. Agriculture Officer Sharad Pokhrel says that the municipality provides indigenous improved seeds based on farmers’ needs, along with free booklets and awareness materials.
According to Mohan Singh Mahat, an Agriculture Officer of Tatopani Rural Municipality, agriculture that was once mainly for family use is slowly changing into something that is more focused on selling and making money. Awareness is also growing about the economic and nutritional value of locally produced indigenous foods and the importance of including them in everyday diets. “Around 60 percent of locals have started to understand the significance of indigenous food consumption,” he says.
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