Agriculture Landholding and Food Security in Terai Region of Nepal: A Case Study of Lakshmaniya Rural Municipality, Dhanusha District

Tanka Prasad Dahal; Purna Bahadur Nepali; Reshma Shrestha; Bhuwan Singh Bisht

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ajasr.20261203.19

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Agriculture Landholding and Food Security in Terai Region of Nepal: A Case Study of Lakshmaniya Rural Municipality, Dhanusha District

Tanka Prasad Dahal

, Purna Bahadur Nepali

, Reshma Shrestha

, Bhuwan Singh Bisht^*

Published in American Journal of Applied Scientific Research (Volume 12, Issue 3)

Received: 29 July 2026 Accepted: 10 August 2026 Published: 28 September 2026

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Abstract

Agriculture is the primary source of livelihood in Nepal’s Terai region, which is widely recognized as the country’s food basket. However, agricultural landholding size, parcel fragmentation, and household size influence household food sufficiency. This study examines the relationship between agricultural landholding patterns and household food sufficiency in Lakshmaniya Rural Municipality, Dhanusha District, Nepal. Primary data were collected from 396 randomly selected households, supported by two focus group discussions and four key informant interviews. Information was obtained on landholding area, number of parcels, family size, cropping intensity, agricultural inputs, and months of household food sufficiency. Descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and multiple linear regression were used for data analysis. The average household food sufficiency was 9.83 months per year. Among 393 valid food-sufficiency responses, 8.91% of households reported food sufficiency for only three months, while 46.42% reported food sufficiency for 12 months or more. The average agricultural landholding was 0.78 ha, and the mean number of parcels was 5.88 per household, ranging from 1 to 45 parcels. A strong positive aggregated relationship was observed between average landholding area and food-sufficiency level (R² = 0.9224). Household-level regression analysis further showed that landholding area was positively associated with food sufficiency, whereas family size was negatively associated after controlling for landholding area. The Gini Index of 0.4874 indicated a moderate level of inequality in agricultural land distribution. The findings suggest that improving smallholders’ access to productive land, reducing inefficient land fragmentation through appropriate consolidation mechanisms, and strengthening access to irrigation, mechanization, quality seed, and other agricultural inputs can contribute to improved household food security in Nepal’s Terai region.

Published in	American Journal of Applied Scientific Research (Volume 12, Issue 3)
DOI	10.11648/j.ajasr.20261203.19
Page(s)	149-157
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2026. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Food Security, Agricultural Land, Land Fragmentation, Food Availability, Land Holding

References

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[2]	Government of Nepal. (2023). National Population and Housing Census 2021. National Statistics Office.
[3]	Gartaula, H., Patel, K., Johnson, D., Devkota, R., Khadka, K., & Chaudhary, P. (2017). From food security to food wellbeing: Examining food security through the lens of food wellbeing in Nepal’s rapidly changing agrarian landscape. Agriculture and Human Values. https://doi.org/10.1007/S10460-016-9740-1
[4]	National Statistics Office. (2024). National Sample Census of Agriculture 2021/22: Report on Land Use. Government of Nepal, Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, National Statistics Office, Kathmandu, Nepal.
[5]	Paudel Khatiwada, S., Zhang, J., Su, Y., Paudel, B., & Deng, W. (2017). Agricultural land use intensity and determinants in different agroecological regions in Central Nepal Himalaya. Springer Geography, 281–305. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-2890-8_13
[6]	Timilsina, R. H., Ojha, G. P., Nepali, P. B., & Tiwari, U. (2019). Agriculture land use in Nepal: Prospects and impacts on food security. Journal of Agriculture and Forestry University, 3, 103–111.
[7]	Gyawali, P. (2021). Overview of agriculture in Nepal: Issues and future strategies. Fundamental and Applied Agriculture, 6(3), 323–335. https://doi.org/10.5455/faa.89753
[8]	Chen, Y., Wen, Q., & Zhang, H. (2025). The impact of the fragmentation of cultivated land on non-grain usage. Archives of Agronomy and Soil Science, 71(1), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/03650340.2025.2512767
[9]	Yogi, L. N., Thalal, T., & Bhandari, S. (2025). The role of agriculture in Nepal’s economic development: Challenges, opportunities, and pathways for modernization. Heliyon, 11(2), e41860. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2025.e41860
[10]	Muche, M., Endalew, B., & Koricho, T. (2014). Determinants of household food security among Southwest Ethiopia rural households. Food Science and Technology, 2(7), 93–100. https://doi.org/10.13189/fst.2014.020701
[11]	Government of Nepal. (2022). Land Use Regulations, 2022. https://www.scribd.com/document/657261119/Land-Use-Regulations-2079-1
[12]	Central Bureau of Statistics. (2023). National Sample Census of Agriculture Nepal 2021/22.
[13]	Cochran, W. G. (1977). Sampling Techniques (3rd ed.). John Wiley & Sons. https://www.scribd.com/document/534046574/Cochran-1977-Sampling-Techniques-Third-Edition
[14]	Farris, F. A. (2010). The Gini index and measures of inequality. The American Mathematical Monthly, 117(10), 851–864. https://doi.org/10.4169/000298910X523344
[15]	Dahal, T. P., Nepali, P. B., Shrestha, R., Bisht, B. S., & Subedi, N. (2026). Household-level land fragmentation and food security implications of land consolidation in the Terai region of Nepal: A case study of Lakshmaniya Rural Municipality. African Journal of Empirical Research, 7(2), 1087–1102. https://doi.org/10.51867/ajernet.7.2.93
[16]	Dahal, T. P., Shrestha, R., Nepali, P. B., Bisht, B. S., & Subedi, N. (2026). Landholding, cropping intensity, and household food security in the Middle Hills of Nepal: A case study of Mandandeupur Municipality, Kavrepalanchok. Nepal Journal of Multidisciplinary Research, 9(2), 348–367. https://doi.org/10.3126/njmr.v9i2.95267

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Dahal, T. P., Nepali, P. B., Shrestha, R., Bisht, B. S. (2026). Agriculture Landholding and Food Security in Terai Region of Nepal: A Case Study of Lakshmaniya Rural Municipality, Dhanusha District. American Journal of Applied Scientific Research, 12(3), 149-157. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajasr.20261203.19

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ACS Style

Dahal, T. P.; Nepali, P. B.; Shrestha, R.; Bisht, B. S. Agriculture Landholding and Food Security in Terai Region of Nepal: A Case Study of Lakshmaniya Rural Municipality, Dhanusha District. Am. J. Appl. Sci. Res. 2026, 12(3), 149-157. doi: 10.11648/j.ajasr.20261203.19

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AMA Style

Dahal TP, Nepali PB, Shrestha R, Bisht BS. Agriculture Landholding and Food Security in Terai Region of Nepal: A Case Study of Lakshmaniya Rural Municipality, Dhanusha District. Am J Appl Sci Res. 2026;12(3):149-157. doi: 10.11648/j.ajasr.20261203.19

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@article{10.11648/j.ajasr.20261203.19,
  author = {Tanka Prasad Dahal and Purna Bahadur Nepali and Reshma Shrestha and Bhuwan Singh Bisht},
  title = {Agriculture Landholding and Food Security in Terai Region of Nepal: A Case Study of Lakshmaniya Rural Municipality, Dhanusha District},
  journal = {American Journal of Applied Scientific Research},
  volume = {12},
  number = {3},
  pages = {149-157},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ajasr.20261203.19},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajasr.20261203.19},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajasr.20261203.19},
  abstract = {Agriculture is the primary source of livelihood in Nepal’s Terai region, which is widely recognized as the country’s food basket. However, agricultural landholding size, parcel fragmentation, and household size influence household food sufficiency. This study examines the relationship between agricultural landholding patterns and household food sufficiency in Lakshmaniya Rural Municipality, Dhanusha District, Nepal. Primary data were collected from 396 randomly selected households, supported by two focus group discussions and four key informant interviews. Information was obtained on landholding area, number of parcels, family size, cropping intensity, agricultural inputs, and months of household food sufficiency. Descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and multiple linear regression were used for data analysis. The average household food sufficiency was 9.83 months per year. Among 393 valid food-sufficiency responses, 8.91% of households reported food sufficiency for only three months, while 46.42% reported food sufficiency for 12 months or more. The average agricultural landholding was 0.78 ha, and the mean number of parcels was 5.88 per household, ranging from 1 to 45 parcels. A strong positive aggregated relationship was observed between average landholding area and food-sufficiency level (R² = 0.9224). Household-level regression analysis further showed that landholding area was positively associated with food sufficiency, whereas family size was negatively associated after controlling for landholding area. The Gini Index of 0.4874 indicated a moderate level of inequality in agricultural land distribution. The findings suggest that improving smallholders’ access to productive land, reducing inefficient land fragmentation through appropriate consolidation mechanisms, and strengthening access to irrigation, mechanization, quality seed, and other agricultural inputs can contribute to improved household food security in Nepal’s Terai region.},
 year = {2026}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Agriculture Landholding and Food Security in Terai Region of Nepal: A Case Study of Lakshmaniya Rural Municipality, Dhanusha District
AU  - Tanka Prasad Dahal
AU  - Purna Bahadur Nepali
AU  - Reshma Shrestha
AU  - Bhuwan Singh Bisht
Y1  - 2026/09/28
PY  - 2026
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajasr.20261203.19
DO  - 10.11648/j.ajasr.20261203.19
T2  - American Journal of Applied Scientific Research
JF  - American Journal of Applied Scientific Research
JO  - American Journal of Applied Scientific Research
SP  - 149
EP  - 157
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2471-9730
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajasr.20261203.19
AB  - Agriculture is the primary source of livelihood in Nepal’s Terai region, which is widely recognized as the country’s food basket. However, agricultural landholding size, parcel fragmentation, and household size influence household food sufficiency. This study examines the relationship between agricultural landholding patterns and household food sufficiency in Lakshmaniya Rural Municipality, Dhanusha District, Nepal. Primary data were collected from 396 randomly selected households, supported by two focus group discussions and four key informant interviews. Information was obtained on landholding area, number of parcels, family size, cropping intensity, agricultural inputs, and months of household food sufficiency. Descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and multiple linear regression were used for data analysis. The average household food sufficiency was 9.83 months per year. Among 393 valid food-sufficiency responses, 8.91% of households reported food sufficiency for only three months, while 46.42% reported food sufficiency for 12 months or more. The average agricultural landholding was 0.78 ha, and the mean number of parcels was 5.88 per household, ranging from 1 to 45 parcels. A strong positive aggregated relationship was observed between average landholding area and food-sufficiency level (R² = 0.9224). Household-level regression analysis further showed that landholding area was positively associated with food sufficiency, whereas family size was negatively associated after controlling for landholding area. The Gini Index of 0.4874 indicated a moderate level of inequality in agricultural land distribution. The findings suggest that improving smallholders’ access to productive land, reducing inefficient land fragmentation through appropriate consolidation mechanisms, and strengthening access to irrigation, mechanization, quality seed, and other agricultural inputs can contribute to improved household food security in Nepal’s Terai region.
VL  - 12
IS  - 3
ER  -

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Author Information

Tanka Prasad Dahal

Department of Geomatics Engineering, Kathmandu University, Dhulikhel, Nepal

Contact Email

http://orcid.org/0009-0008-1290-1101
Purna Bahadur Nepali

Department of Geomatics Engineering, Kathmandu University, Dhulikhel, Nepal

Contact Email

http://orcid.org/0009-0000-8876-4774
Reshma Shrestha

Department of Geomatics Engineering, Kathmandu University, Dhulikhel, Nepal

Contact Email

http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5078-7193
Bhuwan Singh Bisht

Land Management Training Center, Dhulikhel, Nepal

Contact Email

http://orcid.org/0009-0009-2669-2475

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APA Style

Dahal, T. P., Nepali, P. B., Shrestha, R., Bisht, B. S. (2026). Agriculture Landholding and Food Security in Terai Region of Nepal: A Case Study of Lakshmaniya Rural Municipality, Dhanusha District. American Journal of Applied Scientific Research, 12(3), 149-157. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajasr.20261203.19

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ACS Style

Dahal, T. P.; Nepali, P. B.; Shrestha, R.; Bisht, B. S. Agriculture Landholding and Food Security in Terai Region of Nepal: A Case Study of Lakshmaniya Rural Municipality, Dhanusha District. Am. J. Appl. Sci. Res. 2026, 12(3), 149-157. doi: 10.11648/j.ajasr.20261203.19

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AMA Style

Dahal TP, Nepali PB, Shrestha R, Bisht BS. Agriculture Landholding and Food Security in Terai Region of Nepal: A Case Study of Lakshmaniya Rural Municipality, Dhanusha District. Am J Appl Sci Res. 2026;12(3):149-157. doi: 10.11648/j.ajasr.20261203.19

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.ajasr.20261203.19,
  author = {Tanka Prasad Dahal and Purna Bahadur Nepali and Reshma Shrestha and Bhuwan Singh Bisht},
  title = {Agriculture Landholding and Food Security in Terai Region of Nepal: A Case Study of Lakshmaniya Rural Municipality, Dhanusha District},
  journal = {American Journal of Applied Scientific Research},
  volume = {12},
  number = {3},
  pages = {149-157},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ajasr.20261203.19},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajasr.20261203.19},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajasr.20261203.19},
  abstract = {Agriculture is the primary source of livelihood in Nepal’s Terai region, which is widely recognized as the country’s food basket. However, agricultural landholding size, parcel fragmentation, and household size influence household food sufficiency. This study examines the relationship between agricultural landholding patterns and household food sufficiency in Lakshmaniya Rural Municipality, Dhanusha District, Nepal. Primary data were collected from 396 randomly selected households, supported by two focus group discussions and four key informant interviews. Information was obtained on landholding area, number of parcels, family size, cropping intensity, agricultural inputs, and months of household food sufficiency. Descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and multiple linear regression were used for data analysis. The average household food sufficiency was 9.83 months per year. Among 393 valid food-sufficiency responses, 8.91% of households reported food sufficiency for only three months, while 46.42% reported food sufficiency for 12 months or more. The average agricultural landholding was 0.78 ha, and the mean number of parcels was 5.88 per household, ranging from 1 to 45 parcels. A strong positive aggregated relationship was observed between average landholding area and food-sufficiency level (R² = 0.9224). Household-level regression analysis further showed that landholding area was positively associated with food sufficiency, whereas family size was negatively associated after controlling for landholding area. The Gini Index of 0.4874 indicated a moderate level of inequality in agricultural land distribution. The findings suggest that improving smallholders’ access to productive land, reducing inefficient land fragmentation through appropriate consolidation mechanisms, and strengthening access to irrigation, mechanization, quality seed, and other agricultural inputs can contribute to improved household food security in Nepal’s Terai region.},
 year = {2026}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Agriculture Landholding and Food Security in Terai Region of Nepal: A Case Study of Lakshmaniya Rural Municipality, Dhanusha District
AU  - Tanka Prasad Dahal
AU  - Purna Bahadur Nepali
AU  - Reshma Shrestha
AU  - Bhuwan Singh Bisht
Y1  - 2026/09/28
PY  - 2026
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajasr.20261203.19
DO  - 10.11648/j.ajasr.20261203.19
T2  - American Journal of Applied Scientific Research
JF  - American Journal of Applied Scientific Research
JO  - American Journal of Applied Scientific Research
SP  - 149
EP  - 157
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2471-9730
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajasr.20261203.19
AB  - Agriculture is the primary source of livelihood in Nepal’s Terai region, which is widely recognized as the country’s food basket. However, agricultural landholding size, parcel fragmentation, and household size influence household food sufficiency. This study examines the relationship between agricultural landholding patterns and household food sufficiency in Lakshmaniya Rural Municipality, Dhanusha District, Nepal. Primary data were collected from 396 randomly selected households, supported by two focus group discussions and four key informant interviews. Information was obtained on landholding area, number of parcels, family size, cropping intensity, agricultural inputs, and months of household food sufficiency. Descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and multiple linear regression were used for data analysis. The average household food sufficiency was 9.83 months per year. Among 393 valid food-sufficiency responses, 8.91% of households reported food sufficiency for only three months, while 46.42% reported food sufficiency for 12 months or more. The average agricultural landholding was 0.78 ha, and the mean number of parcels was 5.88 per household, ranging from 1 to 45 parcels. A strong positive aggregated relationship was observed between average landholding area and food-sufficiency level (R² = 0.9224). Household-level regression analysis further showed that landholding area was positively associated with food sufficiency, whereas family size was negatively associated after controlling for landholding area. The Gini Index of 0.4874 indicated a moderate level of inequality in agricultural land distribution. The findings suggest that improving smallholders’ access to productive land, reducing inefficient land fragmentation through appropriate consolidation mechanisms, and strengthening access to irrigation, mechanization, quality seed, and other agricultural inputs can contribute to improved household food security in Nepal’s Terai region.
VL  - 12
IS  - 3
ER  -

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