Authors: Shyam Basnet, Rupesh Tha, Siddhartha Mainali, Sushant Acharya, Meeta Saiju Pradhan, Dil Khatri and Mani Ram Banjade
Publisher: Southasia Institute of Advanced Studies (SIAS)
Published online: 27 May 2025
Type: Survey Report
Executive Summary:
The women-led businesses and those working in the climate-sensitive sectors have been deeply impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Such enterprises face a multitude of challenges such as gender-based barriers, labour shortages, financial struggles, and limited market access- all of which have affected their business and overall economic growth. In light of these intersecting challenges, there is a pressing need to strengthen the resilience of such enterprises, particularly in the context of increasing climate and other vulnerability.
With a strong emphasis to address the impacts of climate change, current status of the agricultural market and improving it, understanding the scope of digital and financial market, the project aims to co-produce workable solutions for financially sustainable and shock resilient agriculture and forest-based enterprises. The study focuses on crops such as wintergreens, legumes and vegetables in the context of agriculture and forest-based enterprises. Through Participatory Action-Research Co-producing a shock-resilient business ecosystem for women-led enterprises in Nepal (CREW) Project and the Agribusiness survey, we explore the challenges and opportunities for women in Nepal’s agribusiness sector in two key economic corridors: Dolakha-Ramechhap and Arghakhanchi-Rupendehi.
Strengthening policies to being more gender-inclusive and climate-sensitive are also the key focus of the project. By strengthening the financial and technological literacy to inspire and engage women in the long run, the baseline survey report provides a detailed qualitative as well as quantitative datas to illustrate the current situations faced by the women farmers and entrepreneurs and also outlines the overall outcome variables of the project.
