Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: The China Foundation for Rural Development (CFRD) has launched a new skills development training program aimed at expanding youth employment opportunities and strengthening commercial agriculture in Dakshinkali Municipality, Kathmandu.
The “Skill Development Training in Off-Season Agriculture Production” is being implemented in partnership with the New Light Foundation (NLF) and in coordination with Dakshinkali Municipality. It combines classroom instruction with field-based practical sessions to equip young farmers with market-oriented skills in off-season vegetable production, promoting entrepreneurship and sustainable livelihoods, according to the CFRD.
CFRD has been active in Nepal since the 2015 earthquakes. It began activities in Nepal by providing post-earthquake relief efforts. Since 2019, it has provided plumbing and electrical training to 318 young people under its Skill Development Project. The organization earlier provided technical and financial assistance from China to farmers in Dakshinkali and Tarkeshwar of Kathmandu. The CRFD claimed in a statement that 90% of beneficiary farmers have adopted new agricultural practices and begun exporting vegetables to Qatar. It has also helped strengthen the tea value chain in Nuwakot and Lalitpur districts by introducing modern machinery and providing training in plucking, processing, and marketing. The initiative has benefited more than 600 households producing organic tea and improved their access to domestic and international markets, it added.
The training follows an authorized curriculum through CTEVT-affiliated institutions and aims to enhance technical capacity, increase productivity, and improve local livelihoods. Priority was given to young farmers with at least 1.5 ropani of land and a demonstrated commitment to continue farming, according to CFRD.
Dakshinkali Mayor Mohan Basnet and CFRD Country Director Zou Zhiqiang jointly inaugurated the training program.
In her remarks, Country Director Zou highlighted CFRD’s ongoing contributions in Nepal, including education support through Panda Packs and sports kits, nutrition programs for schoolchildren, water supply projects, and collaborative agricultural initiatives with Chongqing Municipality and the Agriculture and Forestry University in Chitwan.
Similarly, Mayor Basnet said he is hopeful that the training would help improve agricultural productivity and enhance the economic well-being of the local households.
