KATHMANDU, July 1: Although Nepal is often referred to as an agricultural country, the agricultural land has been shrinking every year. In recent times, land suitable for paddy plantation has been decreasing annually. This is certain to have an impact on overall agricultural production.
According to a study, Nepal’s agricultural land is shrinking at a rate of 1.75 percent annually. Every year, arable land is turning barren, and over time, these barren lands are gradually converting into forest areas. With the growing trend of rural-to-urban migration, villages are becoming increasingly depopulated. In some places, entire villages have become deserted. These abandoned settlements are slowly transforming into forest zones and such areas are now being included under forest coverage.
This is one of the reasons behind the sharp rise in forest area. Officials from the Ministry of Forest and Environment (MoFE), however, view the increase in forest coverage as a highly positive development for the country.
A detailed study report published in December 2024 by the Forest Research and Training Center (FRTC) under the MoFE states that agricultural land in Nepal is shrinking while forest and shrubland areas are increasing. According to the report, agricultural land now covers 22.59 percent of the country, while forest and shrubland account for 46.08 percent.
The report highlights that the trend of leaving agricultural and arable land uncultivated has contributed to the yearly decline in agricultural land and the rise in forest and shrubland areas. According to officials at the FRTC, once cultivation stops, the abandoned land naturally begins to transform into forest and shrubland over time, which explains the increase in forest area.
On the other hand, agricultural land is also being converted into residential and infrastructure development zones each year, which is another major reason for the shrinking agricultural sector.
The report prepared by the FRTC provides a detailed comparison of the state of land in 2019 and 2022. It notes that forest areas in Nepal have increased particularly in the Terai, Chure, and Mid-Hill regions. The study found that shrublands and some agricultural lands have been converted into forest areas.
According to the report, over the span of three years, rocky terrains have primarily transformed into grasslands. As of 2022, forest cover in Nepal accounted for 43.38 percent of the total land area, equivalent to 6,399,341 hectares.
According to the earlier report in 2019, forest area covered 41.71 percent of Nepal’s total land—equivalent to 6,152,806 hectares. Compared to 2019, by 2022, an additional 1.67 percent of land area was classified under categories such as rocky terrain, snow, glaciers, forest and shrubland, riverbeds, built-up areas, water bodies, and barren land.
The report states that in 2019, forests accounted for the largest share of land use at 41.71 percent, followed by agricultural land at 24.34 percent, and grasslands at 13.27 percent. It also highlights that, as of 2022, the Terai region had the highest proportion of land under agriculture, covering 65.4 percent.
Similarly, the report states that forest areas occupy the largest share of land in the Chure (73.67%), Mid-Hill (64.54%), and High Hill (57.20%) regions. In the High Himalayan region, grasslands cover the largest portion, accounting for 41.59% of the land.
The report also highlights the status of grasslands. Compared to 2019, the area covered by grasslands increased across all geographic regions of Nepal in 2022. The study shows that between 2019 and 2022, forest areas, built-up areas, and grasslands increased by 1.67%, 2.70%, and 1.44% respectively.