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KATHMANDU, June 18: The CGIAR Scaling Hub South Asia has launched a series of capacity-sharing events in Kathmandu aimed at tackling one of South Asia’s most persistent development challenges: moving agricultural and water-management innovations beyond the pilot stage and into the hands of the millions of smallholder farmers who need them.
The Hub serves as the South Asian node of CGIAR’s Global Scaling Hub Network, which was launched in Nepal in December 2025. It is hosted by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) under CGIAR’s Scaling for Impact Program.
The Kathmandu events mark the first phase of an ongoing regional initiative that will be expanded across Nepal, Bangladesh, and India.
Held from June 15–17, 2026, the three-day series brought together representatives from CGIAR research centres, commercial and development banks, government ministries, private-sector agribusinesses, civil society organisations, and universities from Nepal, India, Bangladesh, and beyond. The events represent a significant step toward the Hub’s mission of transforming South Asia’s fragmented innovation landscape into a coordinated, investment-ready ecosystem capable of delivering impact at scale.
“Nepal sits at the heart of South Asia’s water and food-security challenges, making it the ideal location to anchor this Hub,” said Dr Manohara Khadka, Country Representative for IWMI Nepal. “The Government of Nepal has been an outstanding partner, and we look forward to demonstrating together what responsible scaling can achieve for the region.”
Pilot of Aviation Museum
Closing the scaling gap
Despite decades of agricultural research and innovation across South Asia, many promising solutions remain confined to pilot projects. Institutional silos, weak coordination between research and financing systems, and the absence of clear pathways for national adoption continue to hinder large-scale impact.
The capacity-sharing series directly addressed these barriers by introducing participants to scaling-science frameworks, Innovation Packages and Scaling Readiness (IPSR) tools, and principles of responsible scaling. The sessions aimed to build a shared understanding among stakeholders who often operate independently of one another.
“Many small and medium-sized enterprises in agriculture fall into what we call the ‘valley of death’—the gap between a successful pilot and viable commercialisation, where financing dries up and support systems disappear,” said Nora Hanke-Louw, Senior Project Manager at IWMI South Africa. “That is precisely why bringing financial institutions and the private sector into this conversation is so important.”
Three days, three audiences, one agenda
The June 15 session engaged CGIAR scientists, national research institutions, and development partners, including CIMMYT, ILRI, IRRI, ICIMOD, and representatives of the Government of Nepal. Through case studies on irrigation and water-management innovations, maize commercialisation models, livestock-service delivery, and seed-business systems, participants examined the factors that either enabled or constrained scaling efforts.
On June 16, the Hub convened financial institutions, including NIMB Bank, donor agencies such as the Embassy of the UAE, private-sector agribusinesses, civil society organisations, and government representatives. Discussions focused on investment readiness and the critical role of finance in scaling agrifood innovations.
Sushil Chandra Acharya, Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, highlighted a significant investment gap at the heart of Nepal’s water challenge. Of the country’s 2.5 million hectares of irrigable land, current government and development-partner investments reach only 1.59 million hectares. Moreover, only about 40 percent of that area has access to year-round irrigation, leaving the remainder dependent on seasonal rainfall.
Acharya stressed that bridging this gap will require a shift from short-term projects toward long-term partnership models that can be sustainably financed, managed, and maintained.
The final session, held virtually on June 17, connected universities from Nepal, India, Bangladesh, and Ethiopia in a South–South learning exchange. Participants explored ways to integrate scaling science into academic curricula and establish a cross-regional university network to equip the next generation of agricultural professionals with the skills needed to deliver real-world impact.
Looking ahead
As the CGIAR Scaling Hub South Asia expands its activities across the region, organisers say its success will depend on strengthening collaboration among researchers, policymakers, financial institutions, businesses, and academic institutions. By creating stronger pathways from innovation to adoption, the Hub aims to ensure that promising agricultural and water-management solutions move beyond isolated pilots and reach the millions of farmers who stand to benefit from them.
