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Recently, during an interaction program held in Tokha municipality, the mayor, Prakash Adhikari, stated that he was forced to categorize all the land in his municipality as residential and industrial. He mentioned that farmers protested at the municipal office against this decision. “There won’t be any agricultural land left once this land categorization is implemented,” he said. Ironically, during his speech, a large portion of green, rice-planted fields could be seen in the background.

His statement is not unique. Last year, my colleague and I visited four municipalities from eastern to western Nepal. Most of the local representatives we spoke with shared the same opinion. The ward chair of Kalika municipality mentioned that his municipality no longer has agricultural land, as all the area in his wards has been categorized as residential. However, government statistics show that 90.6 percent of the area in the municipality is still used for agricultural purposes.

Undoubtedly, land is a significant economic and productive asset in an agrarian country like Nepal. Historian and archivist Mahesh Chandra Regmi defines land as a representation of the principal form of wealth, the principal symbol of social status, and the principal form of economic and political power. Back then, land ownership meant control over a vital factor of production. Even after five decades, these symbols of land and having ownership of land remain largely the same, although its priority has shifted from production to residential use.

A shifting value 

The Land Use Regulation issued in 2022, three years after the endorsement of the Land Use Act of 2019, categorized land into 10 different types. Based on topography, efficiency, land utility, current use and necessity, land is now classified as agricultural, residential, commercial, industrial, mining and mineral areas, forests, public use, cultural-archeological sites, and others. This new categorization clearly reflects a shift in land priorities from production to a wider range of uses. 

Previously, land was categorized based on the physical properties of the soil, its water retention capacity, irrigation availability, and estimated productivity per unit area. Land with high productivity, good fertility and proper irrigation had the highest value, and efforts were made to maximize land fertility. Now, residential land with road access holds the highest value in both urban and rural areas. As a result, people have pressured the government for road access to their land, leading to haphazard road construction. 

Misdirected basis

With the jurisdiction of land categorization, local bodies have started to classify land as either agricultural or non-agricultural. Most local bodies use road access as a basis for this categorization. Roads are developed as a means of advancing infrastructure, so fertile valleys are often surrounded by roads. Using road access as the basis for land categorization results in categorizing all fertile land as residential, which leads to increased land fragmentation. In Belaka municipality, Udayapur, there is a large fertile area on the banks of Triyuga and Saptakoshi Rivers. Roads are constructed parallel at a distance of less than 100 meters in those fertile raised riverbeds. Both sides of the road within 100 meters are categorized as residential land. As a result of this new categorization, the fertile riverbed has been converted into residential land. A similar situation can be observed throughout Nepal. Instead of examining physical properties, soil fertility, and infrastructure feasibility, using roads as the basis for land categorization increases the risk of diminishing agricultural land.

Policy discrimination

Nepal has 3m hectares of cultivable land, which covers 28 percent of the land area. However, one-third of this cultivable land is now barren, and this trend is increasing. The Land Use Act 2019 was endorsed for the proper use and effective management of land through classification. Political leaders and the concerned ministry have also stated that this act is meant to conserve agricultural land, but the opposite has happened. Some provisions, such as penalties for leaving agricultural land barren and the requirement of approval for buying and selling agricultural land, create fear among farmers about categorizing their land as agricultural. 

The minimum land valuation set by the ministry is based on road access and road type. The government itself discriminates against agricultural land during valuation. Banking loans are also provided based on road access. People are concerned about the low valuation and the difficulty of obtaining loans using agricultural land as collateral. As a result, they pressure the government to categorize their land as residential.

What’s going on?

Land is a very sensitive matter for all of us. It is deeply connected with identity and patriotism, making it a major concern during every political change. Political parties always put land management and ownership distribution at the top of their agendas during elections. People are constantly concerned about land, land ownership and tenure. However, what is actually happening to the land itself is rarely a concern for politicians, the government, or individuals.

With shifting priorities regarding land, soil is suffering harm and becoming lifeless. For short-term economic benefits, land is fragmented into small pieces. There are 6.6m Nepali households owning 11m plots of land, and the size of these plots is also decreasing. All tiers of government are encouraging land fragmentation for revenue generation. Some local governments even put pressure on the ministry, along with land brokers, when the government halted land allotment for categorization. Governments are also building roads haphazardly, ignoring the environmental damage.

Haphazard use of insecticides and pesticides is rife. Last year, more than 2,200 tons of insecticides, pesticides and fungicides were applied to the land, along with 0.4m tons of chemical fertilizers. As a result, the organic matter content in the soil is decreasing, and the land is becoming more acidic, leading to an uncountable loss of soil microbes, beneficial insects and nematodes. At a glance, the true production value of the land was overlooked in favor of contemporary monetary gain, with healthy soil paying the price.

Healthy soil matters

Only 7.5 percent of the Earth’s land is used for agriculture, and it is very fragile. Ninety-five percent of the world's food is produced from fertile, healthy topsoil. Living topsoil is a rich ecosystem with diverse life forms. It is estimated that less than half a hectare of soil (i.e., one acre) may contain 900 pounds of earthworms, 2,400 pounds of fungi, 1,500 pounds of bacteria, 133 pounds of protozoa and 890 pounds of arthropods and algae. However, this source of all life is under threat.

As a mountainous country, Nepal will face a higher threat than others. On one hand, 83 percent of Nepal’s land is covered by mountains and hills, with half of this area already suffering from erosion. On the other hand, 13.6 percent of Nepal’s total population is in a state of severe food insecurity. Additionally, in the fiscal year 2022-23, Nepal imported agricultural goods worth 300bn, highlighting the significant danger of food scarcity the country may face.

Moreover, the ongoing crises due to climate change and regional conflicts worldwide are also unavoidable. This situation underscores the need to conserve our healthy soil on our own land. We need to change our perspective on land. The most fundamental use of land is for production. We have diverse soil types as well as rich agro-biodiversity. The skyrocketing contemporary monetary value of land only leads to the destruction of soil. The Covid-19 pandemic sent a strong message: Money can’t be eaten. There are more crises yet to come, so we must prepare ourselves and recognize that land alone is not enough without fertile soil.

The author is an agroecology researcher at ForestAction Nepal

The last few days have seen a modest surge of interest in the fact that citizens belonging to the Dalit community are, once again, not represented in the Federal Cabinet. 

Just a few days ago, on Aug 10, there was a march at the center of Kathmandu in which activists were demanding a fair representation of Dalits in the national institutions. 

In the recently-appointed federal government, there is only one state minister, a junior position within the cabinet, belonging to the community, Rupa BK who was appointed with the Forests and Environment portfolio. 

As several news reports have highlighted, the lack of inclusiveness, especially in relation to the political rights of Dalits, is a consistent feature of national politics. 

Even the previous government under Pushpa Kamal Dahal, in theory a big supporter of Dalits ‘rights, did not have any full ranking minister representing the community. 

Dahal, just a few months ago, in the beginning of June, had announced that an effort was on to establish a Dalit Development Authority. 

While the details of such an initiative were never disclosed, there is a high probability that such an idea will never see implementation. 

Even if such an entity were to be established, its performances would be insignificant, most probably, not too dissimilar from the performance of the National Dalit Commission, a constitutional body that has as its core mission, the empowerment of the community. 

Like many other inclusiveness-focused bodies (for example the Tharu Commission or the Muslim equivalent or even the National Human Rights Commission), the institution has not been able to propose or actuate any noteworthy initiative. 

Even if they lack teeth, these bodies could help generate a national narrative that would be instrumental in reaching a new understanding of the suffering facing minority groups. 

Above all, citizens from the Dalit community really deserve the nation’s special attention and consideration. 

The real problem is that the country is not even close to that.

This is for me a key point and it is one of the most intricate policy conundrums facing the nation.

It is not that policies are not important; it is not that they do not count, they do as, ultimately, any change must have legal sanctions and policy discussions are paramount.

For example, the last’s march National Assembly resolution aimed at ending discrimination toward Dalits could be seen as a good blueprint to advance new practical actions to challenge and ultimately change the status quo. 

I do sincerely hope that the sub-committee in charge of monitoring the implementation of the resolution becomes effective in creating more accountability among ministries’ officials and among members of both chambers belonging to different communities. 

If such deeds are enforced, these would be real stepping stones but for real progress, we need something at much deeper and more personal levels, to begin with. 

Yet, the ultimate challenge is generating an interest among the people on the lack of political representation of citizens from the Dalit community. 

How can we ensure that rallies like the one that happened on Aug 10 can generate a buzz among citizens from different communities, especially the so-called “dominant” communities, who have almost an implicit monopoly on holding key power positions? 

In particular, what puzzles me is how to involve and engage youths in embracing the cause of Dalits. 

I do not want to overlook the neglect in political representation experienced by other groups, including sexual minorities and persons with disabilities but Dalits’ rights cannot be deprioritized. 

How can we generate the same excitement that exists among youths to fight for climate change also for the discrimination facing Dalits? 

I tend to agree with Dalits rights activist and academician Mitra Pariyar. 

“Dalits should form strong lobbies, watchdogs and pressure groups to apply pressure on ministers, junior ministers, government secretaries, CDOs and judges to think more about Dalit identity and rights and to contribute in that direction”, he wrote in a recent opinion piece.

Yet this strategy can only be successful in the medium and long run, if a new awareness, together with a new consciousness, is created among other members of the society. 

It is not that Dalits should stop vigorously reclaiming their rights, including, as explained for this paper by Sushil Darnal, on the need to establish stronger affirmative legislations that benefit them. 

But a major effort on the part of the society, starting from non-Dalit youths, must happen if Nepal truly wants to become truly equal and inclusive. 

First Dalits and non-Dalits youths need to have more opportunities to work together on issues related to social injustices and discrimination but also on other issues of contemporary importance. 

For example, how many Dalits youths are advocating for climate and biodiversity action? 

Those strong and bold enough do advocate for their own rights, but they might not have the strengths or simply enough “bandwidth” to get into other important issues. 

Those climate and biodiversity champions could make an effort to reach out to their peers from Dalit communities and establish joint coalitions, even if at very informal levels, even if with small goals of joint collaborations.

Embassies in Kathmandu, which have been championing youth empowerment, could uniquely support this attempt at coalition building. 

Yet, ownership should come from the youths themselves, who, ideally, must truly embrace this new “front” of cross-cutting themes-based collaborations. 

Possibly working groups or as I prefer to call them, a community of practitioners comprising youths from different backgrounds could be established, trying to formulate common policy proposals, identifying the links between caste and climate injustices. 

Inclusion and social justice have a myriad of facets and different angles but the overarching goal of the 2015 Constitution is achieving a more just and fair nation for everyone. 

Perhaps the debate on changing the threshold for proportional representation that the new government is pushing could be seen as a welcome opportunity as long as a wider discussion is also welcomed: The one focused on a stronger and mandatory quota for Dalits citizens. 

But even with such transformative measures in place that, as per now, are a long shot, we need people, especially youths from different backgrounds and castes, coming together. 

The biggest changes at societal levels do happen only when truly inclusive alliances are established. 

It happened in the USA during the Civil Rights Movement and the similar though different dynamics unfolded in South Africa to bring an end to the Apartheid regime. 

Let’s not forget, it can also happen in Nepal.

View are personal

Nepal, with its rich ancient cultures set against some of the most dramatic scenery in the world, is a land of discovery and unique experiences. For broad-minded individuals seeking an authentic and mesmerizing adventure, Nepal is the ideal destination. The country offers an untouched and undiscovered allure, inviting visitors to uncover new aspects of themselves amidst its beauty. This Himalayan nation is not just a place; it’s an experience waiting to be explored.

The sheer diversity of Nepal, from the steamy jungles of the Tarai to the icy peaks of the world’s highest mountains, means there is an incredible range of activities to enjoy. Trekking, mountaineering and rafting in spectacular scenery are just a few of the things Nepal is famous for. The Annapurna Circuit and the Everest Base Camp trek are world-renowned, drawing adventure seekers from across the globe. The opportunity to trek through diverse landscapes, from lush green valleys to barren high-altitude deserts, offers a unique and enriching experience.

In addition to traditional adventure sports, Nepal offers unique activities like Elephant Polo and micro-light flights through the Himalayas, showcasing that in Nepal, the only boundary is your imagination. With 15 national and wildlife parks, including two UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Nepal remains one of the last places on Earth where you can spot the Asiatic rhinoceros and the Royal Bengal Tiger. Chitwan National Park and Bardia National Park are prime locations for those wishing to experience wildlife in its natural habitat.

Nepal’s greatest attraction, for many, is its people. The traditions and hospitality of its numerous ethnic groups are a major part of what makes Nepal so special. From remote mountain villages to medieval hill-towns and the ancient cities of the Kathmandu Valley, the Nepali people are always welcoming. Experience the unique flavors of Nepali cuisine, prepared with love and depth of flavor, or join in the celebrations of the many festivals held throughout the year. Festivals like Dashain, Tihar, and Holi offer vibrant experiences that reflect the rich cultural tapestry of Nepal.

Tourism is a cornerstone of the Nepali economy, providing a major source of foreign exchange and revenue. Boasting eight of the world’s 10 highest mountains, Nepal is a hotspot for mountaineers, rock climbers and adventure seekers. The country’s Hindu, Buddhist and other cultural heritage sites, combined with its year-round fair weather, also attract a wide array of visitors. The synergy of natural beauty and cultural depth creates a compelling draw for tourists.

Nepal is home to Mount Everest, the highest peak in the world, and Lumbini, the birthplace of Gautama Buddha. These sites, along with many other important religious pilgrimage locations throughout the country, draw followers of various sects and religions. The serene atmosphere of Lumbini, marked by ancient stupas, monasteries and a sacred Bodhi tree, offers a peaceful retreat for visitors while the towering heights of Everest stand as a symbol of human endurance and the spirit of adventure.

According to the Nepal Tourism Board, more than one million tourists visited Nepal in 2023. Specifically, 1,014,876 international tourists arrived by air as of 31 Dec 2023. In July 2024 alone, Nepal welcomed 64,599 international tourists. Indian tourists constitute the highest number of foreign visitors. The government's plan to celebrate 2023 to 2033 as the ‘Tourism Decade’ aims to attract even more foreign tourists. The tourist industry is viewed as a vital means to alleviate poverty and achieve greater social equity in Nepal. The influx of tourists provides employment opportunities and supports local businesses, contributing to the overall development of the country.

Nepal offers a plethora of adventure activities including mountain biking, bungee jumping, rock climbing, trekking, bird watching, mountain flights, ultralight aircraft flights, paragliding, and hot air ballooning. Visitors can explore the waterways by raft, kayak, or canoe and enjoy jungle safaris in the Tarai region. The Tarai, with its dense forests and rich biodiversity, offers a stark contrast to the high Himalayan regions. These varied landscapes ensure that there is something for every type of traveler.

Religious sites such as the Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu, the temple complex in Swargadwari, and the World Heritage Site of Lumbini further enhance Nepal’s appeal. Kathmandu itself, rich in cultural heritage with numerous world heritage sites and museums, is a prime destination for tourists, showcasing the harmony in which this culturally diverse society thrives. The ancient temples and palaces of the Kathmandu Valley, with their intricate wood carvings and stunning architecture, offer a glimpse into the country’s glorious past.

To further welcome more tourism, Nepal can implement several strategic initiatives. Improving infrastructure is crucial; investing in better road networks, airports, and public transportation will make travel within Nepal easier and more comfortable for tourists. Enhancing safety and security measures is also essential to ensure that safety standards are met for all adventure activities and improve security measures to make tourists feel safe. This includes regular maintenance of trekking routes, providing adequate safety gear and ensuring that all tour operators adhere to strict safety protocols.

Promoting sustainable tourism is another key area. Encouraging eco-friendly practices and responsible tourism can help preserve Nepal’s natural beauty and cultural heritage. Initiatives to reduce plastic waste, promote the use of renewable energy and support conservation projects will ensure that the natural environment remains pristine for future generations.

Developing digital platforms is also vital. Creating comprehensive and user-friendly websites and mobile apps that provide information on travel itineraries, accommodation, cultural sites and adventure activities can help tourists plan their trips more efficiently and provide them with valuable insights. Additionally, expanding marketing efforts through international campaigns to highlight Nepal’s unique attractions, targeting diverse markets and using various platforms including social media, travel blogs, and international travel fairs can increase Nepal's visibility on the global stage.

Active participation in international trade fairs and the digital marketing sphere will further promote Nepal as a prime tourist destination. Moreover, activating the Diplomatic Missions of Nepal globally can also aid in increasing tourist numbers. Addressing issues raised by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and improving global connectivity by enhancing air travel options will also attract more visitors.

Offering training programs for tourism professionals in customer service, foreign languages and cultural sensitivity can enhance the overall visitor experience. Well-trained personnel can significantly improve the quality of service and ensure that tourists have a memorable stay. Streamlining visa processes by simplifying procedures and offering more visa-on-arrival and e-visa options will also attract more tourists. Efficient visa processes can make Nepal a more attractive destination for international travelers.

Developing new tourist destinations by identifying and promoting lesser-known regions and attractions can distribute tourist flow and reduce pressure on popular sites. Regions like the Far-West, Mid-West and the mid-hills, with attractions like the Rara lake, offer unique experiences and can draw tourists looking for off-the-beaten-path adventures.

By implementing these suggestions, Nepal can create a more welcoming environment for tourists, ensuring a memorable and enriching experience while boosting the country’s tourism industry. The focus on sustainable tourism can ensure that Nepal's natural and cultural heritage is preserved for future generations, while infrastructure improvements and safety measures can enhance the overall visitor experience. As Nepal continues to open its doors to the world, it stands as a beacon of adventure, spirituality, and cultural richness, ready to offer unforgettable memories to all who visit.

Although China and Nepal are close neighbors, the people of both countries do not have a deep understanding of each other. The rise of the internet and self-media era has not completely filled the cognitive gap between the two countries, but has to some extent strengthened many inherent stereotypes. In order to avoid becoming the most familiar stranger, it is extremely urgent to innovate the channels for information dissemination and the sharing of knowledge and experience.

Multifaceted China and Nepal

Most Chinese people, whether they have traveled to Nepal or have only read about it in books or just browsed it in short videos, are willing to look at the country through a positive lens and label it as a ‘happy country’. And they are sure that Nepal is a Buddhist country, and therefore very peaceful. After the rise of short video Apps, some viral videos on Nepali platforms are occasionally carried to Chinese platforms as fragments of information, but they reinforce the stereotypes. Nepal’s dramatic political developments and social movements in the midst of intense change have been generalized by Chinese netizens, without malice, as simply ‘chaotic’. From the happy country to the chaotic country, these two irrelevant, even completely opposite impressions have been put onto Nepal, which is really puzzling. On the one hand, Chinese people are not stingy to give Nepal a romantic imagination, while on the other, they inevitably fall into the cliché of Internet stereotypes.

On Nepal’s side, things are not much better. Those who love China and those who don’t, it is hard to view it without putting geopolitical imagination. Those who see China as rich and those who see it as backward are both vocal, and those who criticize China as undemocratic and those who have respect for its political system are at odds with each other. People are amazed by the speed of China’s development, but also look at China's role in the region and even on the world stage with confusion. Traditional and modern, international and local media, politicians and scholars, in many cases all are trying to portray to their readers and viewers the versions of China they understand. The combination of all these versions may still not make up a complete and real image of China. China is ancient and modern, developed and underdeveloped, culturally and ethnically diverse yet unified. Any one of these aspects is China, but it is not the whole of China. Therefore, when we talk about China, we must not forget which aspect of China we are talking about.

Information cocoon

Once a person’s first impression of something takes shape, it is difficult to change. People tend to unconsciously and selectively accept information that matches their first impression, thereby confirming their judgment. The algorithmic promotion of Apps and disinformation has largely fueled this process. People are trapped in their own hand-woven ‘information cocoon’. The cognitive gap between China and Nepal has not been automatically bridged through closer interactions, but rather has tended to widen and consolidate, which is dangerous for two neighbors committed to enhancing bilateral relations through better understanding and mutual trust. Even more dangerous is the fact that the anti-disinformation campaign, wrapped up in geopolitical rivalry and prejudice, is inherently imbued with a gene for spreading it. Such a situation is making it more difficult for people to distinguish truth from falsehood. The so-called cognitive warfare is not just something in sci-fi movies and conspiracy theories, but is a powerful means of geostrategic competition in today’s world. Unfortunately, China and foreigners, who want to understand China, are precisely the biggest victims of disinformation.

In a country like Nepal, where there is a high degree of media freedom, fragmented information has also been given ample space for dissemination. The fragmentation of information has likewise contributed to the formation of an information cocoon. In this context, a story is intentionally or unintentionally chopped up, and readers are told only a portion of the actual facts that conform to their preconceived value judgments, leading them to believe that this is the full picture of the story. A series of controversies surrounding the Belt and Road Initiative, such as the issue of the so-called debt trap, have seen misinformation repeated over and over again, despite repeated clarifications from the Chinese side and some third parties. Some sources are blaming Chinese companies for the slow progress of projects contracted by them, but have no interest to dig deeper into the obvious reasons behind these problems and are unwilling to recognize the fact that Chinese companies are making rapid progress in their projects in other developing countries around the world. People are repeatedly told how great the potential and promise of Nepal’s tourism market is, but rarely are they adequately informed about the tourism infrastructure and investment needs required to fully realize this potential. This pattern of information dissemination is widening the cognitive gap between China and Nepal.

The only way to break this dilemma is to expose the audience to a more diversified source of information, so that they are in a position to discern and choose. This seems to go back to the repeatedly discussed theme of people-to-people exchanges. However, if we look at it from a broader level, the significance of people-to-people exchange is precisely to provide nationals of both sides with more multifaceted perspectives and more channels of voices to know each other. Therefore, the flow of information and the sharing of knowledge and experience should become an important way of interaction between China and Nepal. While promoting infrastructure connectivity, it is equally urgent to build a highway for the two-way flow of information. Beyond the media and self-medias, institutions of higher education, think tanks, non-governmental organizations and stakeholders from all industries can participate in building this information highway. Let more Chinese voices be heard in Nepal and more Nepali stories be told in China. Mediapersons, scholars and opinion leaders in both China and Nepal should take up the responsibility of providing more and better-quality content to the people of both countries and bridging the cognitive gap.

The author is the deputy director of Nepal Study Center at the Institute of South Asian Studies, Sichuan University