Empowerment of Nepalese peasant through an agricultural Newspaper “Krishi Patrika (Nepali)”.

Nepal, an agricultural country, poorest in the world, most of the Nepalese farmers' lacking access to modern facilities/marketing and input support services. Worsen situations of the farmers' rights, food security, and access to policy development are some causes of poor performance of agricultural sectors. Until and unless the problems faced by the farmers would not be addressed rightly, the rural poverty and agricultural production could not be alleviated and transformation of subsistence agriculture into commercialized farming may not be possible.

There are over 5,000 newspaper/magazines/journals published in Nepal. Most of these newspapers are concerned with political issues and cheap entertainment. Some agencies are publishing technical news/paper related to agriculture, forestry and other field especially in English with a limited circulation. Moreover, these newspapers are providing one sided views ignoring the masses of poor farmers. In most cases, these publications are failed to meet the need of a small farmers need.
• Most of the agricultural news, findings published in English, moreover, some of the newsletter has been publishing some news on agricultural issues but are not accessible to the majorities of the farmers.
• The problems faces by the farmers remain unreported to the concerned authority due to the lack of proper media, published news. Moreover, many farmers have developed appropriate technologies in rural areas, achieved economical success and initiated native and sustainable practices, which have not been reported/published in due respect; thus benefit of such innovation remained underutilized by the mass farmers in other areas.

Now I am publishing " Krishi Patrika" a newsletter on agricultural/forestry technology, farmers' rights and analytical news in Nepali first time from private sector in Nepal.

The Objectives: i) To provide an platform to the voiceless farmers to present their issues and concern; create awareness on improved farming technologies among the rural farmers and contribute in transformation of subsistence farming systems into market oriented commercialized sustainable farming. ii) To raise contemporary issues faced by the farmers so as to develop strategies to resolve the problems as well as develop programs/policies for agricultural development/improvement. iii) To organize field interaction between the farmers communities and concerned organizations to resolve the problems/issues raised in the newspaper "Krishi Patrika"

Major activities: i) The publication of an agricultural newsletter called "Krishi Patrika" in Nepali language will be strengthened and circulated in a wider scale among the rural villages/farmers groups. ii) Carrying out interaction between the farmers and the concerned authority on published issues/problem to resolve the contemporary issues faced by the farmers in strategic sites on major commodities. iii) Recommendations to the government as well as NGO/INGOs for the policy formulation, program development for the betterment of the agricultural and peasantry

Beneficiaries: i) The direct beneficiaries will be the peasant and the secondary beneficiaries will be rural farmers, field technician/extension workers, policy makers involved in agriculture and forestry comprising over 50 thousands of rural households in Nepal.

Description of Krishi Patrika: The newspaper contains eight pages with various issues faced by the farmers, reports on farmers activities in the fields, contemporary issues related with peasantry, farmers views/concerns, technical articles, analytical news, experiences, interviews, analysis of government/non-government programs/policies/events and other information related to farming, livestock, forestry, soil/environment conservation, medicinal plants, feeds & nutrition, agro-enterprises/marketing, international and other issues. a) The Krishi Patrika’s Government Registration Number: Government of Nepal, Ji. Pra.Ka.Kath. Darta No. 260/2064/065. b) General Postal Office Registration: General Post Office, Go.Hu. Ka. Da. No. 29/2064/065.
The publication of the newsletter will be circulated all over Nepal either through postal services in very remote areas and in accessible areas the newspaper will be delivered through distributors.