Southasia Institute of Advanced Studies (SIAS)

Shifting gender dynamics are emerging in rural communities of Nepal, with women joining men as early adopters of digital technologies for agriculture. It is a positive trend, which can help transform rural livelihoods, but more can be done to overcome the constraints facing women in utilising these tools.

This story reveals that the primary victims of shocks such as Covid-19 are the marginalised and voiceless people, in this case women small farmers. The local government that provides guardianship to such people can appear silent, because of the influence of powerful actors. Alliances between local women and researchers, together with the use of deliberative forums, can restore women's rights and voices.

A survey by the Southasian Institute of Advanced Studies revealed the personality traits, managerial skills, and business attributes of entrepreneurs who survived or fell victim to the Covid-19 pandemic. The survey, carried out among farmers in Arghakhanchi and Ramechhap districts, suggests larger farms with higher start-up capital are more likely to survive longer.

Climate change is imposing heavy costs on smallholder farmers and local communities whose livelihoods are based on natural resources - including in Nepal, where male out-migration places an especially heavy burden on women to navigate the changes.