Agriculture development in the world during the last 6 decades has been mostly driven by advances in Green Revolution technologies. In Asia, where more than 70 percent of the poor live in rural regions and one-third of Asian workers work in agriculture, there is a growing market for agricultural consultants. However, the agricultural sector currently faces numerous challenges, including climate change, biodiversity loss, and risks connected with unforeseen events such as pandemics and natural disasters. With globalizing the food and farming system is becoming more complex.
In a scenario like this, we need a comprehensive approach to strengthening the food and farming systems. To survive, agribusinesses must seek expert consultation in the area of sustainable farming, which can only be provided by a multidisciplinary team of experts to cater to the changing needs of clients. Agricultural Technology Centre (ATC) is one of the prominent agriculture specialists with a proven track record of 28 years in the industry. ATC has a roster of multidisciplinary agricultural professionals who provide advisory services in the areas of identification design appraisal, monitoring, and evaluation of various development projects such as crops, livestock, agroforestry, and forestry.
The firm assesses the impact of various development and resource initiatives, conducts policy analysis and the development of short, medium, and long-term Agriculture and Rural Development Strategies, conducts market study value chain & market system analysis, and designs conditions of own farm research activities. Similarly, the firm conducts needs assessments for small and medium-sized formal and informal business enterprises, as well as reports and maps for farm soil maps and guides for sustainable soil management. ATC organizes on-site soil testing camps with its personnel and its own produced soil testing kit box. Moreover, the firm delivers timely recommendations for soil management after completing soil and demand-based supply of agricultural inputs and diverse agricultural equipment. In addition, ATC also provides different agriculture skill training to graduates, technicians, and farmers.
“We lay our emphasis on the system approach, sustainability, and excellence. We work with farmers, agriculture, investors, government agencies, NGOs, and UN agencies, and ensure context-appropriate agricultural knowledge is effectively implemented at the field level,” emphasizes Dibya Laxmi Bajracharya, Founder and Chairperson. Agriculture is a fast-moving industry, where customers expect prompt and reliable services. Agriculture is especially a kind of special field where farmers and agribusiness must adapt to the seasons. Thus, timely delivery of service is of utmost importance.
Perfectly understanding the scenario, ATC is guided by comprehensive guidelines, frameworks, protocols, and constant follow-ups.
The firm invests the majority of its time and resources in understanding the needs of its clients. Its laboratory and processes are guided by quality manuals based on the ISO/ISE 17025:2017. In a nutshell, ATC is a process-oriented organization that fully understands the needs of clients. “Another perk of our consulting organization is that we have a Soil and Plant Laboratory center and offer consulting services at an affordable price. We prioritize both goodwill and profit,” adds Dibya Laxmi Bajracharya.
Team of Experts
ATC is staffed by a diverse team of 17 employees, spearheaded by 5 board of directors, Dibya Laxmi Bajracharya Prashanta Raut, Shiva Shankar Sharma, Pragati Sipkhan, and Rajan Dhakal, all of whom have demonstrated experience in the agriculture industry. The firm employs 7 full-time specialists who operate in the laboratory and 10 part-time in-house professionals who render consulting services to various clients. These professionals have expertise in the field of soil science, agroecology, plant protection, food security, animal science, data science, environment, horticulture, gender, and agri-economics. Moreover, the firm has a roster of professional experts with expertise in various agricultural disciplines who are contacted on a need basis and give expert support. It should also be noted that ATC is a woman-led enterprise, with 65 percent of its employees comprising females.
The Success Saga
Agricultural Technology Centre was established in 1993 by Dibya Laxmi Bajracharya, a seasoned soil specialist in Nepal, with the intent to provide service to local clients in the capital city of Nepal. During the course of work, the firm established relationships with numerous national and international organizations, Nepalese government departments, as well as numerous academic institutions, and research groups. To date, the firm has served clients from all 7 provinces of Nepal, as well as 52 of the 77 districts. Among its major clients are the Prime Minister Agriculture Modernization Project, the National Agricultural Research Council, and Agriculture Knowledge Centers.
ATC has also catered to many international organizations and has provided soil testing and consulting service to clients from China, South Korea, the USA, and Australia. Currently, the firm caters its services to 500 farmers and 75 agribusinesses on an average annually. And, as it strives to achieve new heights, the company aims to establish itself as a one-stop shop for farmers, agribusinesses, and agricultural stakeholders. The firm is looking to spread its footprints to many other Asian Countries and has plans to expand its service in trading and E-commerce. Thus, ATC will be providing full-fledged consulting, scientific, trading, and e-Commerce solutions to clients in the coming days.
ATC is a process-oriented organization that fully understands the needs of clients
“In the initial establishment years, we started with a vision to promote research and innovation in the agriculture sector to technological and scientific services. However, since 2021, we have revised our vision and currently, we exist to drive the food and farming system toward excellence. Therefore, our focus for the coming years is around maintaining excellence in our service through accreditation standardization and affiliation,” concludes Dibya Laxmi Bajracharya. Dibya Laxmi Bajracharya, Founder & Chairperson One of the renowned soil specialists of Nepal, Dibya Laxmi Bajracharya has a Diploma in soil science from North Carolina State University and an M.Sc. Degree in Chemistry from Tribhuvan University.
She has worked as a soil scientist in various institutions of the Government of Nepal like the Soil Science Division of the Department of Agriculture (DOA) and the National Agriculture Research Council (NARC). After her retirement in the early 90s, Dibya Laxmi started this soil lab, which is now the oldest privately owned soil and plant lab in Nepal. She has also worked with Government and Non- Governmental Institutions as a consultant and assisted organizations to develop and implement sustainable soil management interventions. Even in her eighties, Dibya Laxmi Bajracharya is actively engaged in research work in the lab as well as in the field.
.jpg "Technology in Cancer Care: A story of evolving paradigms")
.jpg "Bringing Shop Floor to Manufacturer's palm: Smart Factory Solutions for tomorrow")
