SAMBRIDDHISAMBRIDDHISAMBRIDDHISAMBRIDDHI U.S. Department of Agriculture Food for Progress Modernizing Aquaculture in Nepal Project QUATERLY NEWSLETTERPhoto: Aashish Rai/LWR APRIL - SEPTEMBER 2026 • ISSUE: I INSIDE THIS ISSUE: A Message from the Chief of Party Project Overview & Activity Progress Partner’s Updates Success Stories Data StudioDisclaimer: This newsletter is published under the name SAMBRIDDHI (समृ), the Nepali word for prosperity, highlighting the project’s overall goal of bringing prosperity to Nepal by substantially increasing aquaculture production and trade.

U.S. Department of Agriculture Food for Progress Page 2 A M E S S A G E F R O M C H I E F O F P A R T YWe are just starting. The best is yet to Come. Dear Friends, Manjurul Karim Dr. Manjurul Karim, Ph.D. Chief of Party, Lutheran World Relief U.S. Department of Agriculture Food for Progress Modernizing Aquaculture in Nepal Project P R O J E C T O V E R V I E WModernizing Aquaculture in NepalUSDA Food for Progress Modernizing Aquaculture in Nepal project is being implemented by Lutheran World Relief with five local partners. It works with 9,500 fish farmers and 500 market chain actors across the private sector, government, academia and civil society, in 14 districts of five provinces. 3.5 YearsProject Period (Sept. 2025 – Mar. 2029) 5Provinces 14Target districts 33Municipalities, Year 1 9,500Fish farmers 500Market chain actors S O 1 · P R O D U C T I V I T YIncreased agricultural productivity of fish farmers through better access to improved inputs, services, finance and end-market linkages. S O 2 · T R A D EExpanded trade of aquaculture products, including inputs, services, live fingerlings, fish and processed fish. Goal · To bring prosperity to Nepal by substantially increasing aquaculture production and trade.

Modernizing Aquaculture in Nepal Page 3 A C T I V I T Y P R O G R E S S · A C T I V I T I E S 1 – 3 A C T I V I T Y 1 · T R A I N I N G — S P S M E A S U R E S 4 SPS curricula approved · 18 field sites surveyed for the review · 3 market days commenced A C T I V I T Y 2 · I N F R A S T R U C T U R E — F A R M , M A R K E T A N D T R A D E 10 One-Stop Service Centres open · 25 demonstration ponds with aerators · 4% loss reduction at Chitwan Fish House, from 10% A C T I V I T Y 3 · C A P A C I T Y B U I L D I N G & E X T E N S I O N S Y S T E M S 2,941 farmers trained, 103% of target · 60 demonstration and nursery pondsStandards, service points and a training cascadeNepal's first fish-specific SPS curricula approved A national SPS review benchmarked Nepal’s policies, standards and curricula against the WTO SPS Agreement, Codex and the WOAH Aquatic Animal Health Code, drawing on consultations with the Ministry, DLS, CFPCC, six laboratories, three training institutions and Kalimati market, plus field evidence from 18 sites in seven districts. Each pairs 90-minute theory sessions with two-hour practicals and is pitched at a different audience: trainers over nine days, farmers over four, traders and retailers over three, processors over two and a half. CFPCC approved the package after adding tilapia, extending the processor course to aquafeed mills and strengthening responsible drug use, and its Chief committed CFPCC to own them.Dr. Manish conducting Training of Trainers (ToT) among partner staff on SPS and bio-securityService points, aerated ponds and a market that works Partners signed MoUs with 10 agrovets, hatcheries and cooperatives to run One-Stop Service Centres, two in each partner area, each with a business plan, signboard and water-quality kit. Such as, New Krishna Agro Centre in Janakpur records services to 479 project farmers, and Khanal Vet Center in Rupandehi now advises 60–70 farmers a month, up from 30–40. 25 demonstration ponds run on aerators bought with farmer cost share. A farmer in Madi raised stocking from 300 to 400 fingerlings per kattha and another in Suddhodhan built his own. Chitwan Fish House’s temperature-controlled unit cut losses from 10% to 4%, and 13 retailers at the rebuilt Janakpur live fish market now trade from aerated tanks.Lula Tamang processing fish in his newly built processing unit supported by project’s grantA training cascade that reached 2,941 farmers LWR issued two training guides, one for pre-stocking and stocking and a Farmer Field-level guide for the second module, then trained 14 partner technical staff, who trained 28 Aquaculture Field Facilitators. AFF then delivered training sessions based on both modules to farmers in 33 municipalities, out of which 25 sessions were strategically observed and monitored. 60 grow-out demo and nursery ponds anchor the teaching, each under an MoU with the project supplying lime, fertilizer, seed and starter feed. CFWA’s nursery demonstrations lifted fry survival to 58% against the 30– 35% farmers managed before, and farmers have adopted pond drying, larger fingerlings and fixed feeding platforms. AFF now carry their own pH meters, ammonia kits, and sechhi disks to support farmers to test water quality. 11 district meetings with local government drew concrete offers, from Sunwal’s call for farmer group proposals to Suddhodhan’s 70% subsidy on probiotics.One of the AFF conducting water quality testing in front of farmers

U.S. Department of Agriculture Food for Progress Page 4 A C T I V I T Y P R O G R E S S · A C T I V I T I E S 4 – 6 A C T I V I T Y 4 · I N P U T S — I N P U T S U P P L Y S Y S T E M S 4 carp breeding nuclei established · 9 feed formulations given to mills · 1.5M fingerlings stocked at Hira Matsya A C T I V I T Y 5 · F I N A N C I A L S E R V I C E S — M S M E F I N A N C E 283 farmers trained in financial literacy · 5 districts under the lending agreement · NPR 35M loan target, 300 borrowers A C T I V I T Y 6 · P U B L I C I N F O R M A T I O N C A M P A I G N — N U T R I T I O N 626 participants in 20 nutrition sessions · 79% student knowledge, up from 63% · 23,800 social media viewsSeed, feed, finance and nutritionBetter seed, better feed A June mission established Nepal’s first managed carp breeding nuclei, two Rohu and two Mrigal, each built from unrelated, PIT-tagged founders drawn from geographically isolated hatcheries. The consultant estimates near-zero inbreeding and a 7–10% genetic gain in the first generation, and left procedures for producing the F2. 7 pangasius hatcheries were assessed; trained operators at Sahani Matsya reached about 90% fertilization, showing that hatchery management, not breeding technique, limits output. A National Tilapia Team was formed and three of thirteen hatcheries selected for support. Feed. A consultant assessed 7 mills and delivered 9 species- and stage-specific formulations with a simplified QA/QC protocol, while DLS committed to gazette aquafeed standards.A glimpse of Pangasius breeding being barried out by International ConsultantBuilding a pipeline of finance-ready farmers SAHAMATI assessed the capacity of 105 fish entrepreneurs in Chitwan, Rupandehi and Nawalparasi West and found the gap was not ambition but evidence: most could grow fish, few could show a lender they were creditworthy. SAHAMATI trained 148 farmers across 5 sessions on budgeting, cash-flow management, business planning and loan proposals, and ran two events where farmers met banks, microfinance institutions and cooperatives to discuss documentation, collateral-free loan sizes and repayment terms. In August LWR signed an agreement with FORWARD Microfinance across 5 eastern districts; by September it had trained 135 farmers. Because it both trains and lends, it can move borrowers straight to disbursement.FORWARD MFI conducting Financial literacy session with a farmer groupTalking about fish where people eat it World Food Forum Nepal in technical partnership with Food Shield Nepal selected 13 facilitators from 219 applicants and completed all 20 planned programmes across 10 districts, 7 educational, 7 community and 6 farm-level, reaching 626 participants, 363 of them women. Experts from DFTQC, NAMP and the fisheries research stations supported the farm-level sessions, some delivered in Maithili and Bhojpuri. What changed? Knowledge scores rose from 62.9% to 79.4% among students and from 46.5% to 71.9% among community participants, and a social media campaign generated 23,800 views and impressions. CFPCC has agreed to co-develop nutrition messages in local languages and to own the project’s post-harvest handling materials.Community nutrition session with school students

Modernizing Aquaculture in Nepal Page 5 G R A N T S , C O M M U N I C A T I O N S A N D M E L G R A N T S 18 grants awarded since April 2026 · USD 110,853 total grant value · 34% contributed by recipients C O M M U N I C A T I O N S & K N O W L E D G E M A N A G E M E N T 1,000 pond record books distributed · 56 demonstration pond signboards · 100+ further technical and nutrition signs M E L U P D A T E S 2,840 farmers registered in the 3D platform · 9 of 21 indicators from the annual survey · 370 farmers in the FCR studyInvestment, evidence and the systems behind themEighteen grants, and a third from recipients Since April the project has awarded 18 grants, 3 cash partnerships and 15 in-kind, worth USD 110,853, of which the project contributes USD 72,669 and recipients put in USD 38,185 of their own. Every in-kind grant carries a cost share, so each upgraded facility has an owner with money in it. 10 of the 18 sit under input supply, strengthening hatcheries, nurseries and feed; 5 under farm and market infrastructure. 9 further grants were signed in September covering hatchery and fingerling production, feed storage and packaging, water supply, fish processing and a live fish market upgraded in partnership with a ward office.Grant handover to a farmer groupMaking the work visible, yet verifiable Communications moved from promotional material to field products that can stand up to technical and monitoring checks, and the plan was updated in July to prioritise evidence collection over duplicative promotion. It also produced pond management record books and Good Aquaculture Practices (GAP) booklets, so farmers can track stocking, feed, growth, water quality, costs and harvest. Signboards went up at 56 demonstration ponds across 29 municipalities and twelve districts, at service centres and at more than 100 further farm, hatchery and market locations. A documentation mission in late June built a visual repository supporting project documentation, technical learning, best-practices, and USDA-compliant reporting.Scan the QR code to watch Project Intro VideoA measurement system that can carry the evidence A three-day launch workshop in April brought all 5 partners onto a common set of tools, protocols and data-quality rules, with registration forms, consent procedures and demographic tools for about 13 categories of value chain actor. A farmer identification system links demographic records, training attendance and beneficiary information, so participants are tracked over time rather than counted twice. About 2,840 farmers are registered in the 3D platform. The Results Framework was approved in February 2026 and the Evaluation Plan and PMP in March; the annual survey was finalised and tested with CGA Technologies in late September. A feed conversion assessment of about 370 farmers flagged 62 for follow-up on feeding rates, and a rapid access-to-finance assessment of 280 farmers will identify finance-ready borrowers for referral to lenders.MEL launch workshop with all five partners

U.S. Department of Agriculture Food for Progress Page 6 P A R T N E R U P D A T E S CFWA Dhanusa · Mahottari · Siraha 690 farmers · 19 demonstration ponds · 2 service centres FORWARD Morang · Sunsari 690 farmers · 17 demonstration ponds · 24% women JJYC Bara · Rautahat · Sarlahi 424 farmers · 212 trained in PHH and SPS · 127 actors mapped MADE-Nepal Chitwan · Rupandehi · Parasi 721 farmers · 14 demonstration ponds · 2,163 reached indirectly RRAFDC Bara · Parsa 336 farmers · 7 ponds harvested · 5 automatic aerators I M P L E M E N T I N G P A R T N E R SFive local partners, twelve districtsCFWA, FORWARD, JJYC, MADE-Nepal and RRAFDC delivered the farmer training, demonstration ponds and service centres that carried the project through its first full season.Both training modules reached the full cohort of 690 farmers, and September's module drew 770 attendances. Fourteen demonstration ponds went in across eight municipalities, two completed nursery demonstrations recorded fry survival near 58%, and thirteen retailers at the Janakpur live fish market received tanks, pipes and weighing machines under an LWR grant.An integrated training package delivered to 28 farmer groups closed the year at the full target of 690 farmers, 165 of them women — the highest share among the five partners. Seventeen demonstration ponds were established against a target of fourteen, and the August coordination meeting in Biratnagar drew 99 participants from government, local bodies, feed mills and traders.All three training modules were completed by the end of September, reaching 424 farmers, and 212 farmers and market actors were trained in post-harvest handling, HACCP and SPS. Stakeholder mapping identified 127 value chain actors against a target of 68, and a Fish Market Day attended by the deputy mayor promoted U.S. soy-based feed.Module 2 closed at 721 farmers, 232 of them women, with 2,163 people reached indirectly. Pangasius fry survival at Saksham Sahani Matsya Hatchery rose from about 5% to 26%, and collaboration with CAARP gave the project working access to tilapia breeding and sex-reversal technology, verified at about 95% male.The second training module was completed in 15 sessions across August and September, bringing the total to 336 farmers against a target of 330. All seven demonstration ponds were carried through to harvest, five automatic aerators were installed under private-sector MoUs, and three farmers upgrading hatcheries received drag nets, testing kits and weighing balances.Conducting practical-based Training of Trainers (ToT) among Aquacult Field Facilitators before they disperse and training village farmers

Modernizing Aquaculture in Nepal Page 7 S U C C E S S S T O R I E S M O R A N G · F O R W A R D From guesswork to a planned pond 395 g silver carp at second sampling · 800 fingerlings stocked · 7 species tracked C H I T W A N · M A D E - N E P A LTwo ponds, two decisionsDemonstration ponds are where advice becomes evidence. These two farmers, in Morang and Chitwan, each changed one thing: how they stock, and how they aerate.Raj Kumari Rajbanshi, 56, farms 3.2 kattha in Rangeli–2 and belongs to the Daulatapur Matshya Krishak Samuh. She used to buy fish by weight through local middlemen, without knowing the species, number or size she was stocking, and growth was slow. Under her demonstration pond she stocked 800 advanced fingerlings of seven carp species on recorded dates and now samples growth with her field facilitator. At the second sampling, silver carp had grown from 87.5 g to 395 g in 49 days and common carp from 55 g to 250 g in 59 days. Her pond has become a learning site for other farmers in the community.The automated aerator on Purna KC's demonstration pond, Madi–7Forty years of fish farming, one night-time problem solvedPurna KC has run Pratistha Machha Farm in Madi–7 for more than 40 years. Low dissolved oxygen repeatedly killed fish and capped his stocking at 200–250 fish per kattha. Conventional paddlewheel aerators must be switched on by hand at 2–3 a.m., and his ponds are far from his house. The automated aerator installed on his demonstration pond runs by itself on preset conditions. Since installation there has been no oxygen-related mortality and he has raised stocking to 350 fish per kattha.“Since MADE-Nepal installed an aerator in my demo pond, I am now stocking 350 fish per kattha without any oxygen deficiency, and I can clearly see that the fish are growing much faster than before.” Purna KC, Pratistha Machha Farm, Madi–7, ChitwanRaj Kumari Rajbanshi at her demonstration pond, Rangeli–2.

U.S. Department of Agriculture Food for Progress Page 8 D A T A S T U D I O 2,941 33 85 18 W H A T C H A N G E D W H E R E T H E P R O J E C T I N V E S T E D Pangasius hatchling mortality · Hira Matsya Hatchery 50–60% → 20% Nursery survival after transfer · Hira Matsya Hatchery 5–10% → 60–70% Fry survival in nursery demonstrations · CFWA 30–35% → 58% Product losses · Chitwan Fish House 10% → 4% Daily sales · Janakpur live fish market 1,200–1,500 kg → 1,500–2,000 kg 10 4 9 283 626 2,840 E D I T O R I A L T E A M Advisors Dr. Manjurul Karim, Ph.D., Chief of Party Dr. Tek Bdr Gurung, Ph.D., Deputy Chief of Party Editor-in-Chief / Design Aashish Rai Technical Officer, Knowledge Management & Communications Contributors Brajesh Malla, Sr. Manager - Financial Service Ganesh Sharma, Sr. Manager - MEL Dr. Manish Thapaliya, Ph.D., Sr. Manager - Food Technology Narayan Giri, Training Manager Surendra Chaudhary, Sr. Manager - Private Sector Engagement Lutheran World Relief (Nepal) Address: Kupondole - 1, Lalitpur, Nepal Tel: +977 9851354235 E-mail: MKarim@lwr.org Website: www.lwr.org All photographs and stories are published with the consent of the people shown. Contact UsProgress in numbers · April – September 2026Farmers trainedMunicipalitiesDemonstration pondsGrants awardedService centresBreeding nucleiFeed formulationsTrained in financeNutrition participantsRegistered in 3DDisclaimer: This newsletter was made possible by the generous support of the American people through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food for Progress Program. The contents are the responsibility of Lutheran World Relief and do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Department of Agriculture or the United States Government.