Rural women of west-central Nepal carrying loads of fuelwood from nearby forests to their mountain homes. - - FAO in Nepal. The land-locked Himalayan Kingdom of Nepal, with approximately 18 million inhabitants, is one of the poorest countries on earth. Nepal's economy is predominantly agricultural and its few industries rely chiefly on the processing of agricultural products. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has aided Nepal for many years and at present there are 33 FAO-assisted projects in the country. Among the major long-term projects, there are 5 in agriculture, 3 in forestry, 3 in population education, 11 projects in diverse fields financed under trust funds from donor countries, and one under FAO's Freedom from Hunger Campaign (FFHC). Ten short-term projects are funded by FAO's Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP).