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 Nepal
is among the poorest and least developed countries in the world with
nearly half of its population living below the poverty line. Agriculture
is the mainstay of the economy, providing a livelihood for over 80%
of the population and accounting for 41% of GDP. Industrial activity
mainly involves the processing of agricultural produce including jute,
sugarcane, tobacco, and grain. Production of textiles and carpets has
expanded recently and accounted for about 80% of foreign exchange earnings
in the past three years. Agricultural production is growing by about
5% on average as compared with annual population growth of 2.3%.
Since May 1991, the government has been moving forward with economic
reforms, particularly those that encourage trade and foreign investment,
e.g., by reducing business licenses and registration requirements in
order to simplify investment procedures.
Nepal's society is predominantly rural. Social life in the village revolves
around the family, which is headed by the father. Extended families
sometimes break apart as sons separate from parents and brothers from
each other in search of additional land. Family property is divided
equally among sons at the time of separation. Consequently, family land
holdings are extremely fragmented. Villagers often pool resources and
labor to implement village-level projects such as irrigation ditches
or channels. Rice is the food staple in most parts of the country. Barley,
millet, and potatoes are important food staples in the Himalayas.
In Nepal women are generally subordinate to men and have less access
to education, economic resources, and political power. Their plight,
however, varies from one ethnic group to another. Among Tibeto-Nepalese
communities female status is relatively better than in Indo-Nepalese
communities. Generally, women work harder and longer than men, taking
care of household chores, fetching water and animal fodder, and farming.
Women in upper-class families, however, have maids who do household
work and other menial chores.
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