Intergovernmental Relations (IGR) in Agriculture Sector and Its Effects on Service Delivery at Local Level in Federal Nepal

Abstract

Purpose: This research was done with the objective to explore the current practice of sectoral IGR; factors
affecting it, and effects of IGR on agricultural service delivery.
Methods: Mixed method was employed to collect data. The qualitative method employed 35 Key Informants’
Interviews (KII) and nine Focused Group Discussion (FGD). Empirical data were obtained from the crosssectional survey of 140 sectoral staff from 18 local governments during 2021 to 2022 and analysed accordingly.
Results: The current agricultural sector IGR lacks coordination, cooperation, has a distinct gap on information
exchange and local level have limited negotiation capacity. Fiscal transfer, functional demarcation, clarity in
roles and responsibilities and institutional establishment between three tiers of the government were found major
factors affecting sectoral IGR. Ninety percent of the respondents reported that the current gap in sectoral IGR
has resulted duplicating functions, overlapping roles, thin institutional arrangement, limited capacity of the local
governments, and higher dependency of local governments to federal level for financial and human resources.
Such gap in IGR has negatively affected agricultural service delivery at local level.
Conclusion: Findings of this research suggests that the federal government need to facilitate for the sectoral
coordination mechanism and strengthen the negotiation capacity of local governments for smoothening sectoral
IGR and thereby effective service delivery, particularly those related to agricultural extension and service delivery.