Introduction to the SAPLING
Initiative in Nepal
V. Padmakumar, ILRI
Nepal stakeholder meeting at the
Provincial level, Janakpur, Nepal,
14 October 2022

SAPLING
SAPLING:
Sustainable
Animal
Productivity for
Livelihoods,
Nutrition and
Gender inclusion
Vision
By 2032, sustainable, competitive, inclusive and
resilient buffalo value chains drive improved
livelihood, enhanced food and nutritional security,
and promote equitable growth of men and women
Problem
Low economic and non-economic
returns (benefits) limit livelihood
opportunities of buffalo keepers
and other value chain actors
Bhaisi

3
Sunsari
Saptari
Siraha
Doti
N.Paras
i
Kapilabast
u
Kaski
Tanhun
Murrah
Wild Buffalo
(Terai)
1
Parkote,
Lime
(Hills)
2
Argakhanc
hi
Dang
Palpa
Gulmi
Rolpa
Pyuthan
Banke
Bardiya
Gorkha
Lamjung
Chitwan
Dolakha
Kavre
K
SAPLING Project Sites

SAPLING
Innovations
Digital Genetic
Gain Platform
Digital Feed
Advisory Platform
Deconstruction
of rice straw
Superior
Nutrient Dense
Forages
Health &
Reproductive
Mgmt. DSS
Institutional &
Agri-business models
ASF Nutrition
Communication Tool
Genetic improvement of
dairy animals
Improve access to
bundled technologies,
inputs and services, VC
efficiency & scaling
Improve buffalo health &
reproductive efficiency
Transformative change in
dtraw digestibility
Optimize nutrient density
and intake
Improve diet quality &
reduce feed cost
Behavioral change for
improved ASF consumption

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SAPLING Innovations
1. Digital genetic gain platform
Improved buffalo genetics (both productive and adapted to local environmental conditions, as
well as farmer preferred) and associated artificial insemination-based delivery systems for
improved productivity of buffalo kept by women and men smallholder farmers in Nepal.
2. Digital feed advisory platform
Use of On-farm Feed Advisor, a decision support tool, which can help extension agents and
framers to balance nutrients in dairy animal diet. This is particularly aimed at the early stage of
lactation when there is huge problem in managing protein energy malnutrition
3. Deconstruction of rice straw
Treatment of rice straw to convert it into high quality feed at industrial level by banking on existing
biomass treatment technologies

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SAPLING Innovations
5. Reproductive and heard health package
Digital farmer support system and disease control decision making tools to address the
reproductive challenges, hygiene and biosecurity for improving buffalo productivity in Nepal.
6. Agribusiness models
Profitable business models to deliver quality inputs such as health, feed and genetics products and
services
7. ASF nutrition communication tool
Decision support tool for researchers and development practitioners to prioritise food security
and nutrition interventions that integrate Animal Source Foods based on the food security pillars
of availability, access, utilisation, stability, as well as a nutritional demand assessment.
4. Superior nutrient dense forages
Develop and apply locally adapted nutrient dense forages that respond to year-round feed
demands, increase productivity, improve natural resource use efficiency, and adapt to and
mitigate climate change

Dairy coops as entry points
DMUs & Presidents MPCs selected
Sunsari (11 MPCs)
Ganesh Pd. Guragain
9842083104
1. Dugh utapadan cooperative, Itahari-6 (Khemraj Kaphle, President0
2. Pragatishil Dugdh cooperative, Baraha Municipaliry-7 (Shanta Neupane, President)
Saptari (16 MPCs)
Dipendra Kumar Acharya
9842820257
3. Sai Agriculture cooperative ltd, RupaniT (Tejanarayan YadRakav, President)
4. Triyuga cooperative, Phatepur (Shamvu bahadur Khadaka, President)
Siraha (?)
(No Dist Union)
5. Chandramukhi agriculture cooprerative, Golbajar (Raj Kumar Singh Mahato, President)
6. Tapasi dugdh Utapadan cooperative ltd, Siraha, Sukchaina (Ranajan Kumar Yadav, President)
Dhanusha (18 MPCs)
Ram Babu Yadav
9844025649
7. Gokul Dugdh Utapadak cooperative ltd,Sabaila -7 (Ram Babu Yadav, President)
8. Ma Bhagawati Dugdh Utapadak Cooperative and Vet development cooperative, Kamala-6
(Shiv Sankar Mahato, Manager)
Mahottari (13/33 active)
Ramchandra Singha
9788022060, 9854020407
9. Dugdh and Agriculture utapadan cooperative ltd, Kantibjar Gausala (Ram Dyal mahato, President)
10. Sana Dugdh and Agriculture utapadak cooperative ltd, Ram Gopalpur (Paramod Mandal, President)
Sarlahi (22/28 active)
Suresh Kharki
984035418
11. Hajariya Dugdh Utapadan Cooperative,Badahathawa-2 (Shamabu Prasad Baral, President)
12. Sana kisan Agriculture cooperative ltd, Badahathawa-2 (Ashis Paudel, Managere, President)
Kaski (14 MPCs)
(No Dist Union)
13. Saptagandaki MPCS (Punyaprasad Poudel, President)
14.
Parbat (1 MPCs)
(Dist Union not active)
15.
16.

SAPLING: Institutional mechanism
Institutional &
Agri-business models
Dairy co-op
Local Govt
(LDS)
Prov. Govt.
(DB, DLFD-
VHLEC)
DLS
SAPLING
Project
Dist. Milk
Union
Producers
Agro
vets
LP

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Activities completed:
1. Animal breeding - customization & mapping of local admin units on to Dairy
Genetic Gain Platform
2. Review of reproductive interventions in buffaloes in Nepal
3. Import of forage germplasm
4. Training on NIRS feed quality analysis
5. Training on livestock sector modelling
6. Scoping study
7. Trade-off analysis

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Next steps:
1. Capacity building (Nov 2022)
Date Trainees Subject Resource person
3rd to 4th Nov Veterinarians,
Paravets, Village
Livestock
Promoters
SAPLING, overall
buffalo scenario,
fertility,
feeds/forages
Padmakumar
Bhuminand (4th)
5th to 6th Nov Veterinarians
(VHLEC)
Fertility and
management of
fertility
Laxman Ghimire (5th)
Pankaj Jha
5th to 6th Nov Paravets & VLPs OFA, Body
condition scoring
Padmakumar
Pawankumar Jha
7th Nov Veterinarians,
Paravets, Village
Livestock
Promoters
Field visit (fertility
management) –
Barahari MPC
Laxman Ghimire (6th)
Pankaj Jha

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Next steps:
2. Fertility camps (reproductive management and mineral nutrition) (Dec 2022)
3. Feed balancing (at farmer level) by Village Livestock Promoters (Dec 2022)
4. Baseline study (Dec 2022)

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Financial requirement and cost sharing – Village Livestock
Promoter
No Incentive Details Total cost /MPC /year Contribution
1 Extension classes 2 classes /month
(including reprod.
management)
1000 x 2 x 12 = 24,000 SAPLING
2 Fertility camps 12 days /year 1000 x 12=12,000 MPC
3 House visits (OFA/HH/FC) 10 visits /month 1000 x 10 x 12 = 1,20,000 SAPLING (50%)
MPC (50%)

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Financial requirement and cost sharing – Fertility Clinic
(3/year)
No Item Details
Total cost
/MPC /year
Contribution
1 ToTs (trainer + food + meeting hall +
TA/DA) of FC team (Vets, paravets, VLP)
Lumpsum /MPC 50,000.00 SAPLING
2 Farmer training/awareness (by VLPs) Lumpsum /MPC 30,000.00 SAPLING
3 FC: Allowance for backstopper (NARC) @
2300/day + travel
(2300+1000) x 3days
/MPC
9,900.00 SAPLING
4 FC: Incentive for veterinarian @1900/day
(incentive)
1900 x 3days x 3
camps /MPC
17,100.00 SAPLING
(service of vet by VHLEC & Local Govt)
5 FC: Incentive for paravet @1200/day
(incentive)
1200 x 3days x 3
camps /MPC
10,800.00 SAPLING
(service of paravet by VHLEC & Local Govt)
6 FC: Extension materials, printing, banner
etc.
Lumpsum /MPC 30,000.00 SAPLING

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No Item Details
Total cost
/MPC /year
Contribution
7 FC: Basic medicines: feed supplements,
anthelmentics etc. @3000 per animal
3000 x 100 buffalo /MPC 300,000.00 Local govt (100%)
(by SAPLING upto June 2022)
8 FC: Hormone treatment (15
animals/MPC) @ 7500 per buffalo
7500 x 20 /MPC 150,000.00 Provincial govt (100%)
(by SAPLING upto June 2022)
9 FC: Accessories (needle-syringe,
dressing materials, forceps, scissors,
catheter, gloves) and faecal exam
@30,000 /MPC 30,000.00 Provincial govt (100%)
(by SAPLING upto June 2022)
10 FC: Vehicle hire charges @6000/day 6000 x 3 x 3 camps /MPCs 54,000.00 MPCs (100%)
TOTAL 681,800.00
Total Contribution byMPC (lakh NPR) 0.54 8%
SAPLING 1.48 22%
Provincial govt. 1.80 26%
Local govt 3.00 44%
TOTAL per MPC 6.82
Plus 17.09 towards Genetics, Feeds /Forages, Marketing, Scaling
Plus 0.72 towards VLP Incentive
Financial requirement and cost sharing – Fertility Clinic
(3/year)

SAPLING: sustainability
Institutional &
Agri-business models
Dairy co-op
Local Govt
(LDS)
Prov. Govt.
(DB, DLFD-
VHLEC)
DLS
SAPLING
Project
Dist. Milk
Union
Producers
Agro
vets
LP

www.cgiar.org
DISCUSSION

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About 620 ILRI staff work in Africa and Asia to enhance incomes and livelihoods, improve food security, and reduce disease
and environmental degradation. Australian animal scientist and Nobel Prize laureate Peter Doherty serves as ILRI’s patron.
Organizations that fund ILRI through their contributions to CGIAR make ILRI’s work possible. Organizations that partner ILRI in
its mission make livestock research for development a reality.
www.ilri.org
This presentation is licensed for use under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence.
THANK YOU

Differential strategies for
diversified contexts
• In no growth areas, focus on:
-Livestock for livelihood, livestock as safety net. Policies for subsidies, prevent killer diseases etc.
• In growth areas, focus on:
-Livestock to provide economic benefits, income. Support for technological intensification, marketing,
infrastructure development, growth stimulus. (SAPLING)
• In post growth areas, focus on:
-Environmental policies, human health, regulatory enforcement etc.