Key Trends from the 2006 country brief

• During 1996–2003, total agricultural researcher numbers in Nepal rose steadily, while agricultural R&D expenditures followed an irregular trend.
• The principal agricultural research agency, the Nepal Agricultural Research Council (NARC), accounted for about three-quarters of Nepal’s agricultural R&D spending in 2003.
• More than 40 percent of the scientist positions at NARC were vacant as of late 2005. Various financial, institutional, and security factors have hindered the retention of well-qualified staff.
• During 1998–2002, NARC was highly dependent on World Bank support through the Agricultural Research and Extension Project (AREP). The project’s closure prompted a sharp drop in NARC’s spending.
• Private-sector agricultural R&D is nonexistent in Nepal.

Nepal