Nepal’s farmers are becoming increasingly connected. Smartphones are now used not only for communication, but also for accessing information, learning new skills and connecting with services. Yet having a smartphone does not automatically make farming smarter.

The bigger opportunity is to use that connectivity to help farmers make better decisions.

A farmer deciding when to plant, irrigate or harvest needs timely information. When a crop is affected by a pest or disease, access to reliable advice can make a difference. Information on weather, soil, markets, cultivation practices and farm conditions can help farmers respond to problems before they become bigger losses.

This is where digital agriculture can add real value.

For Madhesh, where farming is closely linked to irrigation, weather, crop health, input availability, markets and production timing, the potential for digital agriculture is particularly significant. The question is no longer whether farmers can access technology, but whether that technology can help them make better decisions in the field.

Starting with the Farmer’s Needs

Farmers make decisions every day with information that is not always timely or easily available. Market access can be uncertain, agricultural inputs may not arrive when needed, pest and disease pressures are increasing, and changing weather makes farm planning more difficult. Access to technical experts can also be limited, particularly when farmers need immediate advice.

To understand these realities better, a small needs assessment workshop was conducted with farmers, focusing on their day-to-day farming activities, the problems they face, and the digital services they would like to have. The workshop provided space for farmers to share what they need in their daily work, where they experience difficulties, and what they would like to see from future digital agriculture services.

The exercise pointed to clear opportunities for digital services.

Weather information can help farmers plan field activities. Digital crop diagnosis can provide an initial understanding of pest and disease problems. Online training can make agricultural knowledge available beyond conventional training sessions. Simple digital tools can help with farm calculations and field monitoring, while online platforms can connect farmers with experts and other farmers.

But the aim should not be to give farmers more information simply for the sake of it. The real value lies in providing useful information at the time it is needed, in a form that farmers can understand and act on.

When Early Warning Matters: From Disaster to Agricultural Resilience

The recent flash floods in Nepal have caused a profound human and infrastructure toll, affecting lives, homes, roads, bridges and essential services. For affected communities, the priority now is rescue, recovery and rebuilding.

These events also highlight how vulnerable livelihoods are to sudden climate and disaster risks. Agriculture is particularly exposed. The September 2024 floods and landslides affected more than 65,000 hectares of agricultural land, with preliminary agricultural losses estimated at around NPR 5.88 billion. Crops, livestock and farm assets were among those affected.

For farmers, early warning can therefore be more than a disaster alert. Timely information about heavy rainfall, rising river levels or prolonged wet conditions can help farmers harvest crops, protect seedlings, move livestock and equipment, or prepare for crop-health risks.

The challenge is to turn technical warnings into simple, timely and actionable agricultural advice.

Digital platforms can help bridge this gap by connecting weather and other relevant information with farm-level guidance. The question should not simply be “What is the forecast?” but:

“What does this mean for my farm, and what should I do now?”

Technology cannot prevent every disaster, especially events that develop with little warning. But when reliable information is available, quickly connecting it to farmers, local governments and agricultural services can strengthen preparedness and protect livelihoods.

For digital agriculture, this means moving beyond information delivery towards early action and greater resilience.

What a Farmer-Centered Digital Ecosystem Can Offer

A well-designed digital agriculture ecosystem can bring different services together around the farming cycle.

Platforms such as Super Krishak can provide weather and agricultural advisories, access to more than 100 training modules, expert-led learning, crop disease diagnosis, soil and field information, farm calculation tools, community interaction and AI-enabled assistance for questions related to weather, markets, pests, diseases and cultivation.

The strength of bringing these services together is convenience. Farmers do not have to look for separate sources of information for every problem. A digital platform can become a place where they can learn, seek advice, identify problems and access relevant support. However, the technology only becomes useful when farmers know how to use it and can relate it to their own farming decisions.

Taking Digital Agriculture from the Screen to the Field

What happens when digital agriculture moves beyond the smartphone screen and meets farmers in the field?

That was the idea behind the farmer engagement carried out across Chinnamasta, Tilathi Koiladi, Laxmipur Patari, Sakhuwanankarkatti and Karjanha in Madhesh Province. Across five municipalities in Siraha and Saptari districts, the programme brought together 328 farmers to explore their needs, build digital skills and experience practical digital agriculture tools firsthand. Between 10 and 15 August 2026, 10 structured capacity-building sessions created spaces for learning, sharing and discovering how technology could fit into everyday farming.

But this was not simply about introducing an app.

The engagement brought together needs assessment, capacity building, digital onboarding and coordination with local governments. Each part mattered. Before asking farmers to use technology, we first needed to understand what they actually needed. Then came the opportunity to build confidence, try digital tools and connect these services with the agricultural systems already working in their communities.

And the farmers who took part were as diverse as the farming communities of Madhesh itself.

Of the 328 farmers engaged, 57.3% were women, 42.1% were men, and 0.6% identified under other gender categories. In terms of ethnicity, 62.5% were Madhesi, 22.3% were Dalit, 8.5% were Adibasi/Janajati, 4.3% were Brahmin/Chhetri, and 2.4% belonged to other groups.

These numbers tell an important part of the story. The real story, however, began when farmers shared what happens before, during and after a typical day on the farm – what information they need, where they struggle to find it, and what kind of digital support could actually make their work a little easier.

Both women and men are central to Nepal’s agricultural economy, contributing across different stages of farming and household decision-making. Their participation was therefore important for ensuring that digital agriculture services respond to the wider farming community.

The engagement showed encouraging digital readiness among both women and men farmers. Participants were receptive to learning about digital tools and interested in receiving agricultural advisories and other forms of digital support that could help them in their day-to-day farming. The particularly strong participation of women was especially encouraging, given the important role women play in Nepal’s agriculture.

Women’s role in agriculture also comes with a significant burden of agricultural drudgery. From planting, weeding and harvesting to carrying water, fodder and agricultural inputs, many women spend long hours on physically demanding and time-intensive farm work. Reducing the time and effort required to access agricultural information can therefore have real value. Direct access to timely digital advisory can help women make decisions without always needing to travel, wait for assistance or depend on others to access information.

This readiness provides a strong foundation for digital agriculture. When farmers are willing to learn and use digital tools, services such as weather information, crop diagnosis and farm monitoring have greater potential to become part of everyday farming.

This is where the Super Krishak ecosystem can make a practical difference. Weather and crop advisories can bring timely information directly to farmers. Digital crop diagnosis can help them better understand pest and disease problems, while farm monitoring and calculation tools can support everyday decision-making. Access to experts and AI-enabled assistance can also make technical guidance available without requiring farmers to travel to extension offices or market centres.

Through the engagement, farmers highlighted challenges related to market access, agricultural inputs, pests and diseases, irrigation, changing weather, technical support and off-season production. These needs provided a clearer picture of where digital services could offer practical support, and where farmers themselves see value in receiving such services.

The experience reinforced an important principle for digital agriculture: start with the people who farm, understand what they need, and build technology around the realities of their daily work.

From Digital Access to Digital Confidence

Getting farmers connected to a digital platform is only the first step. The more important question is what happens after they get access.

During the engagement, farmers were introduced to the Super Krishak ecosystem through hands-on demonstrations and guided practice. They learned how to navigate the platform, register, set up their profiles and explore the different services available to them. More importantly, the demonstrations focused on why and when these services could be useful in their own farming activities.

This shift from simply having access to a digital tool to feeling confident using it is important.

A farmer may have a smartphone and be able to download an application, but that does not automatically mean the technology will become part of their daily farming practice. Confidence grows when farmers can see a clear connection between a digital service and a real problem: checking the weather before going to the field, understanding a crop problem, seeking technical advice or accessing information when it is needed.

Digital literacy, therefore, is not just about knowing how to use a smartphone. It is about being confident enough to use digital information to make better farming decisions.

That confidence takes time. Continued demonstrations, practical support and simple, accessible learning can help farmers move from trying a digital service for the first time to using it independently and eventually making it a natural part of how they farm.

Bringing Palikas into the Digital Agriculture System

Digital agriculture works best when technology and local knowledge come together.

The Madhesh engagement worked closely with Chinnamasta, Tilathi Koiladi, Laxmipur Patari, Sakhuwanankarkatti and Karjanha, engaging municipal administration and agriculture personnel. The focus was on introducing the Super Krishak ecosystem, exploring how digital tools could support local agricultural services, and discussing the possible deployment of the Gham Power Krishi Meter (GPKM).

Why does this matter?

Because Palikas understand their farmers, their agricultural priorities and the realities on the ground. Bringing them into the process early creates space to share knowledge, identify needs and co-design how digital tools can fit into existing local systems.

Rather than developing digital solutions in isolation, the engagement created an opportunity to co-design them with Palikas, bringing together local knowledge, farmers’ needs and technological possibilities. Sensors, digital platforms and advisory services can then be shaped around local priorities, existing agricultural services and the realities farmers face on the ground.

The goal is not simply to introduce technology, but to ask together: What do farmers need? What can technology add? And how can we make it work within the local system?

That is where coordination becomes more than implementation. It becomes co-designing a digital agriculture system that works for farmers and local institutions together.

Technology and Extension Need to Work Together

A farmer should not have to choose between technology and an agriculture extension professional. Why not have both?

Think about a farmer standing in the field and noticing that the leaves of a crop have started to curl. A quick digital check can help identify a possible problem and suggest what to do next. A weather alert can signal that rain is on the way and recommend how the farmer might respond. But if the symptoms are unusual or the problem is spreading, sometimes you still need someone who can look at the field, ask the right questions and say, “Here is what I think is happening.”

That is where digital tools and agricultural extension can work like two hands working on the same field. One can bring information and advice quickly; the other can bring experience, local knowledge and deeper technical support when it is needed.

The journey can be simple:

Farmer → Digital advice → Action → Expert support when needed

Just as a farmer uses different tools for different jobs, from a plough for preparing the soil to irrigation for keeping crops growing, digital tools and human expertise each have a role to play.

Sometimes the answer may already be in the farmer’s phone. Sometimes it may come from an agricultural extension professional standing beside the field. The real win is making sure farmers can reach the right support at the right moment.

Digital agriculture, after all, is not about putting a screen between farmers and extension services. It is about bringing the right information, the right advice and the right people closer to the farmer.

Keeping the Farmer Experience Simple

Owning a smartphone does not automatically mean knowing what to do with every app on it. For farmers, digital readiness is about confidence, not just connectivity.

Some farmers can open an app, find their way around and get started without much help. Others may need a little hand-holding with installation, registration, OTP verification, profile settings or simply figuring out, “Where do I tap next?” Connectivity issues and differences in smartphone capability can add another layer to the puzzle.

That is why a good digital agriculture platform should keep things simple.

Fewer steps. Clear instructions. Easy-to-find services. And, importantly, an experience that works with the connectivity farmers actually have, not the connectivity we wish they had.

Because downloading an application is only the beginning. The real test is what happens when a farmer is standing in the field with a problem and reaches for their phone. Can they find the information they need, understand it and use it without calling someone for help?

That is where local agriculture personnel, field facilitators and community resource persons can make a difference. They can help farmers get started, demonstrate useful features and show how digital information connects with the work they are already doing in the field.

In the end, good digital agriculture should feel less like learning a new machine and more like picking up a familiar farming tool – simple, useful and ready when needed.

Measuring What Really Changes

Counting how many farmers register on a digital platform is easy. Figuring out what happens after they register is where the interesting part begins.

Do farmers come back to use the services? Which features do they actually find useful? Does a weather update change what a farmer decides to do in the field? Does digital crop diagnosis help them respond to a pest or disease problem? Does digital learning make agricultural knowledge easier to access?

There are questions beyond the farmer, too. Are Palikas and agriculture personnel using digital information in their work? Are farmers becoming more confident with digital tools over time? Are these tools becoming part of everyday farming rather than something farmers try once and forget?

These questions shift the focus from simply counting users to understanding use. After all, a registered farmer is a number; a farmer using information to make a better decision is a story of change.

The initial programme provides a useful baseline, with 328 farmers participating across the engagement. Their participation and diverse backgrounds also provide a reference point for tracking how digital agriculture reaches and serves different groups over time.

The Wider Opportunity for Digital Agriculture in Nepal

What happens in Madhesh does not have to stay in Madhesh.

Farmers across Nepal need timely and reliable information on climate, irrigation, crop health, inputs, markets and production practices. But meeting these needs will take more than putting another digital platform in a farmer’s phone. It will take people, technology and local systems working together.

That means combining farmer engagement, capacity building, digital services, local government coordination and access to technical expertise, each playing its part in making digital agriculture useful in the real world.

There is also a chance to create new opportunities for young people and local service providers. They can become digital agriculture facilitators, trainers, technical support providers and community resource persons, helping bridge the gap between technology and the field.

And perhaps the biggest opportunity is to stop thinking of digital agriculture as a one-way street. An advisory reaches the farmer, the farmer takes action, the results become experience, and that experience can feed back into better advice.

Information → Decision → Action → Feedback → Better information

That is the kind of cycle that can turn digital agriculture from simply a service on a screen into a system that keeps learning alongside Nepal’s farmers.

Moving from Digital Access to Better Farming Decisions

The smartphone is already in the farmer’s pocket. The question is: how much more can it do for the farm?

Across Nepal, farmers are increasingly using mobile phones and digital applications to check information, communicate, follow weather updates, explore markets and access agricultural advice. The next step is not simply to put more technology in their hands, but to make the technology they already use more useful for the decisions they make in the field.

Nepal’s digital agriculture journey should ultimately be judged by what changes on the farm. The opportunity is to connect these everyday digital habits with reliable information, practical learning, agricultural expertise and local support systems.

The journey is therefore not simply:

Technology → Farmer

It is more like:

Farmer Needs → Capacity Building → Digital Access → Local Support → Expert Advice → Better Decisions

Because technology works best when it does not arrive alone.

The Madhesh experience shows that digital tools are most useful when they are grounded in farmers’ realities and supported by the institutions, people and expertise around them.

The goal is not to put more technology into farmers’ hands. It is to make the technology already in their hands work harder for them, helping them find the right information, understand their options, make better decisions and take timely action.

For Madhesh, and for Nepal’s wider agricultural economy, that is the real opportunity: turning the smartphone from something farmers carry into something that actively supports how they farm.

The program was implemented by Gham Power Nepal Pvt. Ltd. through the Super Krishak initiative, with technical support from the World Food Programme (WFP), Nepal, under the Adaptation Fund Climate Innovation Accelerator (AFCIA), and in coordination with SAPPROS-Nepal.

Contributed by – Sharaj Shrestha, Agri Consultant