Even though Nepal is predominantly an agrarian country, migration is increasingly
becoming an important livelihood strategy for farm households in rural Nepal. Migrants
head out to various destinations, which, for the purpose of this study, have been broadly
categorised into India and elsewhere. Despite the rise in this phenomenon, little is
understood about the impact of migration on farm production. Using primary data
generated through a household survey, this paper attempts to contribute towards a better
understanding of the impact of migration on the labour and non-labour inputs used and
production outputs in rural farm families in Syangja and Baitadi districts in the hills of
Nepal. While the impact of migration on farm production differed between the two
regions, the findings suggest that most farm households tend to neglect subsistence
farming altogether when there are alternative sources of income. Additionally, when the
household income is insufficient farmers show more interest in livestock farming than
in crop farming. The results of the study also indicate the increasing feminisation of the
agricultural sector in the hills of Nepal.