1. NARDF is governed by a seven person Fund Management Committee [FMC] chaired by the Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture Development. It is administered and operated by the NARDF Secretariat. The head of the Secretariat is the Member Secretary of the FMC. The Secretariat is supported by a Technical Sub Comm ittee and a panel, or list of Peer Reviewers.
2. The membership and conditions of service for the Fund Management Committee are given in the Cabinet Order which established the NARDF.
3. The FMC has responsibility for guiding the fund, and is accountable to funding sources and other stakeholders. It decides on overall policy and strategy, and the allocation of funding envelopes for priority areas.
4. The NARDF Secretariat is headed by the Member Secretary of the FMC. Staffs are appointed to the Secretariat by the MoAD. The Secretariat acts as the executive body of the NARDF, handling all matters of the day to day management of the fund. It has the following major areas of responsibility.
   1. Soliciting project concept notes and proposals from potential researchers and development supporters;
   2. Communicating, developing and maintaining an awareness of the fund and its objectives, functions and achievements;
   3. Processing of proposals received from applicants;
   4. Management of peer reviewers and the proposal review process;
   5. Financial management of the grants awarded to the projects;
   6. Arranging and administering meetings of the TSC and FMC;
   7. Organising and implementing training and sensitisation to the funds processes and objectives;
   8. Monitoring the technical and financial process and outcomes, either directly or through contracting out.
   
   The Technical Sub Committee [TSC] has nine members, and is established by FMC under the Cabinet order of 10 December 2001. Seven members are appointed by the FMC on the basis of recommendations from a Selection Committee; two members are from the NARDF Secretariat, the Member Secretary of the FMC and the Senior Programme Officer. The TSC elects its chairperson from its members. The Member Secretary of the TSC is the Senior Programme Officer from the Secretariat. Criteria for membership of the TSC include:
   1. An academic qualification of minimum Master's degree and ten years of experience in related field;
   2. Relevant experience and technical expertise in one or more of the following areas: crops and horticulture, livestock and fisheries, social sciences, economics, development, communication, extension; biotechnology, natural resources, environment, agro- processing and post harvest technology and agro- forestry;
   3. Familiarity in current agricultural research and development issues and organisations in Nepal;
   4. Not involved in NARDF funded project execution, individually or officially.

Panel of Peer Reviewers:

The FMC appoints the Panels of Peer Reviewers upon the recommendation of the TSC. The criteria to be a Peer Reviewer are as follows:

1. An academic qualification of minimum Master's degree and ten years of experience in related field;
2. Relevant experience and technical expertise in one or more of the following areas: crops [including industrial and horticultural crops], livestock and fisheries, social sciences, economics, development, communication, extension; biotechnology, natural resources, environment, agro- processing and post harvest technology and agro- forestry;
3. Familiarity in current agricultural research and development issues and organisations in Nepal;
4. Willing to work as a Peer Reviewer as expressed by submitting filled up prescribed form to NARDF secretariat;
5. Completed an orientation course designed and organized by NARDF;
6. The term of a Peer Reviewer is continuous, provided the review work is satisfactory.