In April 2026, ICARS team members Kristina Osbjer, Director of Science, and Cèlia Ventura i Gabarró, Science Officer, visited Nepal to meet with partners working on an ICARS-supported project addressing antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and climate-smart poultry farming in Nepal.
Advancing AMR and climate-smart poultry farming in Nepal
The project, led by The Group for Technical Assistance (GTA), is evaluating biosecurity measures and farmer behaviour change strategies to help mitigate AMR and climate impacts in poultry farms in Bagmati Province. The visit provided an opportunity to review progress, discuss preliminary findings, and consider how project results can support future dissemination, uptake and policy engagement.
Engaging partners across One Health sectors
Over the course of the visit, the ICARS team met with the GTA and key national stakeholders in Kathmandu, including representatives from the Ministry of Health and Population, the Department of Livestock Services, the Ministry of Forest and Environment, the Department of Environment and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
These discussions focused on the progress of the poultry project, opportunities for collaboration and how evidence from the project could be shared with relevant audiences. The meetings also helped introduce stakeholders to ICARS’ approach of working with national partners to co-develop context-specific AMR mitigation solutions that respond to local priorities.
Learning from the field in Chitwan
The team also travelled to Chitwan to visit intervention farms and meet with farmers, enumerators and field teams involved in the project. These field visits offered valuable insights into the day-to-day realities of poultry farming and highlighted the importance of tailoring project materials and engagement approaches to the needs of different audiences.
The visit reinforced the relevance of working closely with stakeholders across the poultry sector, including farmers, veterinarians, field teams and public sector partners. It also highlighted the importance of integrating gender and equity considerations into project activities, including future focus group discussions and dissemination planning.
Supporting future uptake of project findings
As the project moves forward, ICARS and GTA will continue working together to strengthen the gender and equity lens, explore additional engagement with key poultry sector actors, and develop accessible dissemination materials for different audiences.
By generating practical evidence on AMR and climate-smart poultry farming in Nepal, the project aims to support more sustainable poultry production while contributing to broader efforts to reduce AMR and promote climate change mitigation.
