Nepal, June 13 -- For generations, grain markets known locally as galla mandis formed the economic heart of Nepal's farming communities. These bustling trading centres connected farmers with traders, ensured market access for agricultural produce, and provided a place where prices were determined through open competition.

Today, however, many of these once-thriving marketplaces stand deserted.

Across the Tarai districts of Rautahat, Banke, Bardiya and Kapilvastu, traditional grain depots have steadily disappeared, victims of changing trading patterns, declining agricultural production, expanding road networks, and the rise of direct farm-gate purchases by traders and processing industries.

What was once a vibrant system that offered fa...