The Digital Agriculture Atlas of Nepal prepared jointly by the Ministry of Agriculture Development (MOAD) and the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) will be launched on 26 August 2015 at Hotel Himalaya, Kathmandu. The Government of Nepal places high importance to ensuring food security for all its citizens. The decision making process related to food security issues needs to be supported by adequate information on food availability, accessibility, and utilization. One key work in this regard is developing relevant information systems by gathering information from all possible sources and serving them at one place to support decision making process. MoAD is making collaborative effort to develop a comprehensive Agriculture Management Information System (AMIS) in the country. MOAD regularly produces statistics on comprehensive parameters related to national level food security which is disseminated through print copies to its users. The Digital Agriculture Atlas prepared with technical support from ICIMOD improves the conventional dissemination and makes it easily available through the internet to a wider audience. The Atlas provides free access to vital information for agriculture planning, research, and overall economic development of the country. The Atlas is organized with maps and diagrams based on statistical information on Nepal’s agriculture sector regularly produced by the Ministry and other relevant agencies. The Atlas enables users to geographically visualize the information in the database by producing customized maps, diagrams, and tables that may also demonstrate the connections between several food security indicators. Agriculture development is vital for the Nepalese economy as it employs more than 66% of population and contributes about 35% to the GDP. However, agriculture-based economy of Nepal is increasingly exposed to the threats of climate change and variability, including extreme events like flashfloods and drought. For additional information, please contact:Faisal Mueen Qamer, ICIMODEmail: Faisal.qamer@icimod.org Mobile: 9808004710 For media related matters, please contact:Nira Gurung, ICIMODEmail: nira.gurung@icimod.org +977 01 5003222