Study on Re-Growth and Nutritional Potentials of \u3cem\u3eEleusine indica L\u3c/em\u3e in Chitwan, Nepal

The efforts to use exotic fodder species to solve the problem of green roughage scarcity in Nepal, have had only limited success because the species are not persistent. Use of local forage species, such as Eleusine indica, which is widely adapted and tolerant of repeated cutting (Lowry et al., 1992), could be possible solution to the problem. The objective of this study was to understand the re-growth potential of E. indica with respect to nitrogen fertiliser application and cutting management and to determine its feeding value in the dry season

Participatory research approaches rapidly improve household food security in Nepal and identify policy changes required for institutionalisation

The introduction, testing, promotion and release of a rice variety, BG 1442, in Nepal were examined in relation to existing policies governing these procedures and to how more participatory approaches could benefit food security. From 1998 to 2006, participatory varietal selection (PVS) was used to test BG 1442 and other candidate rice varieties in the spring (Chaite) rice-growing season (February to June) and in the main season (June to November). The testing of BG 1442 commenced 11 years after it was first introduced into Nepal in 1987 by the national rice research programme (NRRP). Following its initial acceptance by farmers, it was widely disseminated from 1998 by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the low altitude region of Nepal called the terai in projects funded by the Department for International Development (DFID), UK. This dissemination was done using a method termed informal research and development (IRD) where many small packets of seed were distributed without fertiliser or pesticides, the only additional input being a description of varietal characteristics on an enclosed leaflet. From 2001 to 2008, various assessments were made of its extent of adoption and its impact on livelihoods. In a randomised survey of households in 10 districts, BG 1442 increased from not being used at all in 1997 to being grown by about 20% of the surveyed rice farmers by 2008. It was grown both in the Chaite and the main season and was well adapted to the rainfed-upland and medium-land rice ecosystems. The variety was grown from the far west to the far east of low-altitude Nepal by resource-poor farmers. IRD was important in accelerating adoption and improving food security as it was by far the most important external source of seed for farmers. Prior to the adoption of BG 1442, farmers who did not harvest sufficient rice to last their households for 12 months increased rice self sufficiency by over 2 months (25% more). Those households that sold surplus grain and who grew BG 1442 increased grain sales by 600 kg (25% more) in the Chaite season and by 370 kg (24% more) from main season cultivation

A network approach for managing ecosystem services and improving food and nutrition security on smallholder farms

1. Smallholder farmers are some of the poorest and most food insecure people on Earth. Their high nutritional and economic reliance on home--grown produce makes them particularly vulnerable to environmental stressors such as pollinator loss or climate change which threaten agricultural productivity. Improving smallholder agriculture in a way that is environmentally sustainable and resilient to climate change is a key challenge of the 21st century. 2. Ecological intensification, whereby ecosystem services are managed to increase agricultural productivity, is a promising solution for smallholders. However, smallholder farms are complex socio-ecological systems with a range of social, ecological and environmental factors interacting to influence ecosystem service provisioning. To truly understand the functioning of a smallholder farm and identify the most effective management options to support household food and nutrition security, a holistic, systems-based understanding is required. 3. In this paper, we propose a network approach to understand, visualise and model the complex interactions occurring among wild species, crops and people on smallholder farms. Specifically, we demonstrate how networks may be used to (a) identify wild species with a key role in supporting, delivering or increasing the resilience of an ecosystem service; (b) quantify the value of an ecosystem service in a way that is relevant to the food and nutrition security of smallholders; and (c) understand the social interactions that influence the management of shared ecosystem services. 4. Using a case study based on data from rural Nepal, we demonstrate how this framework can be used to connect wild plants, pollinators and crops to key nutrients consumed by humans. This allows us to quantify the nutritional value of an ecosystem service and identify the wild plants and pollinators involved in its provision, as well as providing a framework to predict the effects of environmental change on human nutrition. 5. Our framework identifies mechanistic links between ecosystem services and the nutrients consumed by smallholder farmers and highlights social factors that may influence the management of these services. Applying this framework to smallholder farms in a range of socio-ecological contexts may provide new, sustainable and equitable solutions to smallholder food and nutrition security.Peer reviewe

Reflections on health promotion fieldwork in Nepal: Trials and tribulations

Conducting fieldwork is often a crucial part of community-based public health studies. However, few researchers write about this, often challenging, process. This paper highlights various occasions where fieldwork in the area of public health, health promotion or community health was more difficult than expected or did not go as planned. Our reflections on working in the field will help less experienced health researchers, or those new to conducting research in Nepal, in their research development. Moreover, this paper is also calling upon health promotion researchers to share more details about the process of doing fieldwork and its trials and tribulations. Our key advice is to be inquisitive and openminded around fieldwork, followed by: be prepared for your fieldwork, conduct a risk assessment of what might go wrong and consider your options to overcome such trials and tribulations. Fieldwork is unpredictable; therefore, it is important to share practical lessons from the field which helps other to better understand these tribulations, and learn from them. Moreover, sharing such information may guide new researchers and help them identify strategies that can address those issues and challenges in their future health promotion studies