News

MP products at mountain agriculture conference

23.03.2018

Umesh Lama of Organic World and Fair Future Pvt Ltd. (OWF), a member of the Mountain Partnership, participated in the second International Conference on Nutrition Sensitive Agriculture in Mountain Areas in Kathmandu, Nepal on 27-28 February 2018. The conference brought together rural service providers of the Mountain Agro-ecosystems Action Network, policy-makers, businesses and scientists from around the globe to share their knowledge and experiences about nutrition-sensitive agriculture initiatives that improve the livelihoods of rural communities and engage policy-makers at national and global level.

During the conference, Lama spoke with the Secretary of the Ministry of Agricultural Development of Nepal, Suraj Pokhrel, and the Director of the Agricultural Business Promotion and Market Development Directorate of Nepal, Laxman Poudyal, about the Mountain Partnership Products (MPP) Initiative with special reference to its labelling scheme. Under the MPP Initiative, the Mountain Partnership Secretariat, in collaboration with Slow Food, launched a voluntary label for quality mountain products to promote access to markets for small mountain producers in developing countries – in the framework of a project supported by the Italian Development Cooperation. This global mountain label, supported by adequate value chains and marketing strategies, allows small producers to obtain fair compensation for their specific quality products as well as help customers make a more informed purchase.

Secretary Pokhrel praised the concept and explained that it is an asset for the dwellers of the Rasuwa District in the Nepali Himalayas as well as for all the people of in Nepal. He added that the product “Himali Black Lentils”, which is grown in the Rasuwa District and has been granted the Mountain Partnership Product label, could be considered a special commodity to promote under the zonal category of the Prime Minister’s Agriculture Mechanization Project. Secretary Pokhrel suggested that Lama spread awareness about the MPP Initiative to other mountain farming communities and encourage them to get involved.

The event was organized by the HELVETAS Swiss Intercooperation, Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) and International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) with support from the Nutrition in Mountain Areas Project, funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation under the Global Programme on Food Security.

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Learn about the Mountain Partnership Products Initiative 

Photo: OWF/Umesh Lama