Rural development depends on the integration and sustainable management of human and natural resources. Since its formation, METCON has been involving in improving the living conditions of rural populations with aims at the promotion of sustainability and commercial agriculture, duly embedded in integrated development approaches.

METCON’s expertise in the fields of agriculture and rural development covers a wide range of specializations and has been build up through some assignments undertaken in Nepal. Projects have involved the development and strengthening of sector planning institutions and agricultural engineering programmes, credit schemes and the rehabilitation of storage and processing facilities. Significant contributions have been made to regional development planning, applied research, and development of appropriate farming and land use systems, crop diversification and livestock production, animal health and marketing.

Special expertise and assistance is rendered to forestry projects featuring a forestation for commercial and conservation purposes, erosion control, participatory forestry planning and management, socio-economic and environmental impact assessment and forestry training projects have been carried out in Nepal.

To deal with the increasing demands of sustainable socio-economic development in rural areas, METCON Agriculture and Rural development Department has steadily expanded its scope of services institutional development, training and extension. It maintains continuous contact with scientific and other to meet the future challenges of preserving ecologically endangered natural resources, not least in response to the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro.

METCON has gained considerable experience in agriculture and rural development with involvement in various projects since its formation, like rural development policy analysis, livestock, community forestry, market access for rural development, seeds and vegetable, integrated rural development programmes, watershed management, seed and planting materials sector, and forestry master plan etc. The Company has become capable to exercise and deliver expertise services in agriculture and rural development policy planning, project design and management, production and marketing, user groups formation, local level planning, export of agri. products, rules and regulation in respect to quality control, institutional strengthening of public and private organizations, planning and monitoring, and impact assessment

• Agricultural Enterprises and Marketing
• Storage, Processing and Handling
• Management Capacity Building
• Business Administration
• Enterprise Analysis/Project Economics
• Crop Production and Animal Husbandry
• Rained and Irrigation Agriculture
• Livestock Production, Perennial Crops Husbandry and Veterinary Services
• Agricultural Engineering Mechanization
• Agro – Forestry and Forestry
• Agro-Forestry Systems and Social Forestry
• Forest Planning and A forestation
• Forest Management

All development projects have both positive as well as negative impacts. The environmental impacts, physical, socio-economic, and biological, brought about by project developments at different phases – pre-construction, construction, and operation and maintenance – have to be thoroughly assessed at the very outset and corrective mitigation measures recommended and monitored at each phase so the impact to the environment is minimal and positive. METCON has completed a number of EIA studies encompassing hydropower, water supply, transmission line, and eco-tourism commissioned by different agencies. Services provided are

• Natural Resources Conservation and Management
• Resource Inventory and Appraisal
• Soil Conservation and Watershed Management
• Land Reclamation
• Environmental Impact Assessment
• Scoping of Environment Impact Assessment
• Mitigation Plan Development
• Monitoring and Audit