Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats of Pasturelands in Terai Region of Nepal

The livestock sector plays a vital role in the national economy, providing a source of food, income, and employment in Nepal. For ruminants, the important issue is to improve nutritional value and hence utilization of existing feed stuffs. Fodder cultivation and pasture improvement is a relatively new concept for Nepalese farmers in Nepal. To improve poor feeding system focus should be given on year round forage production system. The term "pasturelands" refers to lands where the native vegetation is primarily made up of grasses, grass-like plants, forbs, or shrubs. Pasturelands are managed as a natural ecosystem that offers ecosystem goods (food, forage, timber, pharmaceuticals, and fuels) as well as ecosystem services (air and water purification, droughts and flood mitigation, detoxification and waste decomposition, preservation of biodiversity and soil fertility, pollination, etc.). Here, strengths, weeknesses, opportunities and threats of pasturelands in Terai region of Nepal are assessed. The strengths that can be developed are knowledge and know-how of the farmer, genetic qualities of the pastures and interest in quality pastures on the market. The weaknesses that can be changed in desired direction are weak relationship with science, low-yielding pastures, lacking of an organized marketing system and danger of infectious diseases. These weaknesses can be overcome by improving the relation with science, leading to a positive development of a number of opportunities such as improving knowledge on ruminant nutrition and on pastures, improving the quality of pastures and development of branded marketing structures and regulations guaranteeing the production and trade of high quality pastures. The most substantial threats for the pasturelands in Terai, which can lead to risks for its development, are lack of pastures, decrease in market prices, high feed prices and spread of infectious diseases. When planning the project activities, the focus should be on the overcoming the weaknesses (W). Also the project activities must be aimed at reducing the risk of threats (T) and developing the opportunities (O). The correct determining of the project activities and the correct organization of the appropriate target groups in its implementation can support the development of the pasturelands in Terai region of Nepal.