Is conservation agriculture a potential option for cereal-based sustainable farming system in the Eastern Indo-Gangetic Plains of Nepal?

Pokharel, Dipendra; Jha, Raj Kant; Tiwari, Thakur P.; Gathala, Mahesh K.; Shrestha, Hari; Panday, Dinesh

doi:10.1080/23311932.2018.1557582

Cited by 11 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…Compared to the Western Gangetic Plains (including the Indian States of Punjab and Haryana), the EGP has experienced more limited economic prosperity and is characterized by resource poor farmers, small land holdings, rain-fed agriculture, labour intensive cereal-based cropping systems and comparatively low agricultural productivity. Poverty, climate change, low literacy, seasonal migration and other institutional constraints add to the region's challenges (Pokharel et al, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Herbicides and Zero Tillage in South Asia: Are we creating a gendered problem?

Brown¹,

Karki²,

Sharma³

et al. 2021

Outlook Agric

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Substantial efforts have been devoted to the promotion of Zero Tillage as part of a Conservation Agriculture based Sustainable Intensification agenda in the Eastern Gangetic Plains of South Asia, yet there is no clear understanding of the gendered implications of the required change in weed management practices from tillage to herbicides. Other geographies such as in Sub-Saharan Africa have shown evidence that transitioning to Zero Tillage may have unbalanced gendered implications that burden women with additional tasks or lead to lessening agency. To address this, a targeted in-depth study with both spouses was implemented in 24 households across Bangladesh, India and Nepal over a period of 5 weeks during crop establishment to understand the perceptions, responsibilities, and knowledge of household spouses who have adopted Zero Tillage systems. This data is used to compare their weeding responsibilities and knowledge between their Pre- and post- Zero Tillage uptake. Findings indicate that the switch to Zero Tillage contributed to substantial time savings in India and Nepal and did not lead to any reallocation or increased burden of roles and responsibilities to women in any of the surveyed localities, while knowledge on weed management practices were balanced among spouses. This research suggests that the gendered experiences of users of Zero Tillage systems and subsequent use of herbicides in investigated locations may differ from Zero Tillage user experience in other geographies, in that Zero Tillage use did not reinforce or deepen existing inequalities within households. This highlights that Zero Tillage may provide an inclusive agricultural development pathway in the Eastern Gangetic Plains of South Asia.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Herbicides and Zero Tillage in South Asia: Are we creating a gendered problem?

Brown¹,

Karki²,

Sharma³

et al. 2021

Outlook Agric

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show abstract

“…However, there is still a need Journal of Agriculture and Natural Resources (2021) 4(2): 316-326 ISSN: 2661-6270 (Print), ISSN: 2661-6289 (Online) DOI: https://doi.org/10. 3126/janr.v4i2.33947 to focus more on strengthening machinery service provision in the local context for the longterm sustainability of CASI practices among farming communities (Pokhrel et al, 2018).…”

Section: Characteristics Of Farms and Farming In Eastern Teraimentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Many different stakeholders were connected through the farmer groups to facilitate awareness of, uptake, and out scaling of CASI (Gathala et al, 2020). The extension of CASI technologies in Sunsari district has been promoted through policy supported by NARC and the Department of Agriculture (DOA) which included farmers' visits to demonstration plots, training programs, field days, dissemination of leaflets, and distribution of pamphlets about the advantages of CASI technologies (Pokhrel et al, 2018).…”

Section: Existing Extension Strategies For Scaling-up Of Casi Technolmentioning

confidence: 99%

Behavioural science principles for scaling-up zero tillage wheat and maize in the Eastern Terai region of Nepal

Ghimire¹,

Timsina²,

Adhikari³

et al. 2021

J. Agric. Nat. Res.

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Farmers have a set of convictions and tend to do what their forefathers had practiced. By identifying their beliefs and designing appropriate ways of upscaling to convince them of new and improved practices, we can improve the adoption of zero tillage technology for maize and wheat. Small and fragmented landholdings that resulted from the cultural system of distributing land to heirs are diverse in their cropping requirements. Moreover, farmers are risk-averse and do not believe easily in new technologies. Traditional extension approaches have not been effective in upscaling these technologies. A new way of thinking based on behavioural science can provide some insights and guidelines for improving the effectiveness of technology adoption. Understanding farmers' socioeconomic circumstances and their decision-making system at the household and society level can help in designing upscaling approaches. Approaches such as capitalising on social bonding, use of established technology leaders, and use of farmers' organizations can improve adoption. Recommended strategies include encouraging a comprehensive contracting system of service provision, using active community influential local leaders in technology expansion, taking group and social identity approaches in technology extension, and capacity building programs for service providers/operators and farmers to help raise confidence and to remove perceived barriers to technology adoption.

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“…), and soybean (Glycine max L.) is one sustainable way of increasing soil OM and N along with balancing soil pH. In addition, managing crop residues, protecting fire (modified slash and burn to slash and residue retention), use of organic inputs, and conservation tillage are other ways to manage soil OM and N (Pokharel et al, 2018).…”

Section: Soil Fertility Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial Variability of Soil Properties under Different Land Use in the Dang District of Nepal

Panday¹,

Ojha²,

Chalise³

et al. 2018

Preprint

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A study was carried out in the eastern part of Dang district in Nepal to assess the variability of selected soil properties due to different land use and map their spatial distribution. Considering three land use types (agriculture, agroforestry, and grassland), a total of 120 samples were collected from surface soil (0 to 15 cm depth) in May 2015 and analyzed for soil fertility parameters: pH, organic matter (OM), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), boron (B), and zinc (Zn). Results revealed that the average value of soil pH significantly (P<0.05) varied from 7.05 in agroforestry to 7.53 in agriculture land use. Soil OM and N contents were medium in range in all land use with slight variation, the highest average OM and N found in grassland (2.87% and 0.14% respectively), followed by agriculture (2.64% and 0.13% respectively), and agroforestry (2.45% and 0.12% respectively). Further, the results showed significant variation for P among agroforestry (18.99 kg ha-1) and grassland (8.49 kg ha-1) while the K content was the highest for grassland (144 mg kg-1) and lowest for agriculture (120 mg kg-1). Micronutrients- B was low (0.28 to 0.35 mg kg-1) and Zn was very low (0.14 mg kg-1) in all land use. There is a need to add appropriate fertilizer N, P, B, and Zn to the soil in order to increase the fertility status under different land use. Spatial variability maps for soil chemical properties can be used by farmers and local planners to make effective soil management strategies.

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Is conservation agriculture a potential option for cereal-based sustainable farming system in the Eastern Indo-Gangetic Plains of Nepal?

Cited by 11 publications

References 14 publications

Herbicides and Zero Tillage in South Asia: Are we creating a gendered problem?

Herbicides and Zero Tillage in South Asia: Are we creating a gendered problem?

Behavioural science principles for scaling-up zero tillage wheat and maize in the Eastern Terai region of Nepal

Spatial Variability of Soil Properties under Different Land Use in the Dang District of Nepal

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