The Climate Resilience Research Center (CRRC), in partnership with FutureWater and Practica, is implementing “Smart Sprayer: Efficient Terrace Irrigation in Nepal” in Putalibazar and Bheerkot municipalities of Syangja District. The project aims to address the growing challenge of dry-season water scarcity faced by smallholder farmers, particularly in terrace-based farming systems of the mid-hills.
Jan Nederstigt, from Practica, the Netherlands, together with CRRC team visited Syangja from 9-12 February, 2026 to assess the technical performance of the Smart Sprayer system, to participate in stakeholder consultations with farmers, key municipal staffs from Bheerkot and Putalibazar municipalities and Agricultural Knowledge Center (AKC) and to assess the potential of scale up to other municipalities in Syangja and mid-hills of Nepal.
On February 10, the team visited all Rangkhola field sites in Putalibazar. Farmers demonstrated how they operate and move the sprayer across their cauliflower and cabbage plots. The technical team held discussions with the farmers to understand their experience using the Smart Sprayer, including how they found the technology in practice, their views on pricing, and whether it was practical and useful in their day-to-day farming operations. The crops showed healthy growth, with one farmer already harvesting cauliflower and others preparing to harvest soon. Farmers shared that the sprayer allows more efficient water use, reduces nutrient leaching, and supports better production.
Farmers provided valuable feedback during the consultation. They suggested adding foldable arms, offering smaller diameter options of 6–8 meters alongside the current 12-meter model, and incorporating a height adjustment feature to improve usability. The team also noted that developing smaller design variants and increasing the use of locally available raw materials could further enhance price, practicality and adaptability for different farming needs..
After the field visit, the team met with the Agriculture Development Office in Putalibazar. The Office Chief, Mr. Prakash Bastakoti expressed interest in purchasing around seven sprayers to distribute to farmers under a 50 percent subsidy scheme, indicating potential institutional support for scaling up.
The following day, the team met with Putalibazar Mayor Mr Tulsi Ram Regmi and municipal officials, along with representatives from the Agriculture Department. Mr Regmi shared that he had already received positive feedback from farmers and expressed willingness to support the project. He encouraged agricultural officials from Putalibazar municipality to further continue the monitoring and evaluation of Smart Sprayer and assess the technology’s effectiveness in the context of Putalibazar.
On February 11, the team visited farmers in Bheerkot. Farmers expressed interest in Smart Sprayer and continued its use next season. One farmer who had not previously grown vegetables on a particular plot tried it this year using the sprayer and reported a significant improvement in production. Farmer, Mr Rishiram Tiwari, compared the system with traditional sprinklers and found it more effective, especially in terms of coverage and efficiency. On February 12, the team met with Bheerkot municipality Mayor, Mr Govinda Kumar Karmacharya, Agriculture Officer Mr Shravan Kumar Bista, and other municipal officials. Mr Karmacharya expressed interest in acquiring two sprayers for demonstration in nearby plots of Bheerkot municipality to encourage adoption among local farmers. T Mr Karmacharya along with the Agriculture Department expressed the positive interest in supporting future project activities.
Overall the Smart Sprayer System so far has shown a strong confidence amongst the farmers in both the municipalities. Both the municipalities and AKC showed strong interests in helping the project team to scale the innovation in Syangja.
