The economics of horticultural tree crops in Rasuwa district, Nepal

The economic development of Nepal is largely dependent on the development of the Hilly regions. The Hills occupy a significant place in the geographic and the economic setting of the country. The majority of the farmers in the Hills are operating their intensive crop-livestock farming systems at a subsistence level. Income levels have been declining in recent years due to increasing population, decreasing size of land holdings, the declining productivity of "pakho" land, soil erosion and deforestration. Under such circumstances, it is important to undertake a study aimed at exploring the possibility of increasing Hill-farmers income by introducing more profitable enterprises in which the Hills might have a comparative advantage. This is particularly important for "Pakho" land. This study explores the possibilities for increasing the incomes of the farmers in the Hills by introducing horticultural tree crops and also by intercropping cereals or potato among the trees. The study takes into account the stability and sustainability of the proposed system. Three separate models are built for apple or walnut for three different farm sizes. These include both household level production units and also the pooled land of a Small Farmers Group. Similarly, three separate intercropping models are built for apple or walnut with due consideration of the spatial and temporal constraints of the perennial crops. The analysis is undertaken at the farm level with multi-period budgets using estimated market prices brought back to the "farm gate". The cost of time is taken into account by discounting benefits and costs by 13.5 per cent. Three standard economic criteria, namely Sum of Net Present Value (SNPV) (and the equivalent Amortised Value), the Internal Rate of Return (IRR) and Benefit Cost (B/C) ratios, are used to determine the economic viability of the models from the farmers point of view. Because of the ex-ante nature of the analysis of the proposed farming systems, care is taken to make all the assumptions explicit. Furthermore, sensitivity analysis is undertaken to check on the 'sustainability' and 'stability' of the models. The apple and walnut enterprises give much higher returns than cereals or potatoes grown on "pakho" land in the study area. The encouraging results of the sensitivity analysis for both apple and walnut demonstrate the relative stability of the results. The intercropping models improve the performance by helping to cover the costs during the gestation period of the tree crops. They also help by providing food during this gestation period. In addition to the financial returns, such tree crops provide external benefits by helping to protect land from soil erosion. The models have the potential of improving equitability of incomes within the community by providing employment within and outside the orchards. However, this study does not attempt to quantify or value such externalities. These ex-ante results are sufficiently encouraging to suggest that thorough research should be undertaken on the productivity and marketability of specific varieties of apples and walnuts and on the management practices necessary to minimise possible negative interactions between the intercrops and the trees

Entrepreneurial behavior of large cardamom growers: A case study in Lamjung district of Nepal

Study on entrepreneurial behavior of large cardamom growers in Lamjung District, Nepal was conducted from December 2017 to June 2018 in Marshyangdi Rural Municipality of Lamjung district. The Rural Municipality was selected purposely for the study due to the recent establishment of Cardamom Zone under the Prime Minister Agriculture Modernization Project in the Municipality focusing on large cardamom development. Altogether 80 large cardamom growers were selected randomly from 454 large cardamom growers of the study site. Data were collected through household surveys, focus group discussions, key informant interviews, personal observations, and other secondary sources. Results showed that a greater proportion of large cardamom growers were found to have medium level of innovativeness (45%), decision-making ability (51.2%), information-seeking ability (48.8%), risk orientation (46.2%), leadership ability (43.8%), achievement motivation (46.2%) and low management orientation (56.3%) which contributed to the overall medium entrepreneurial behavior (47.5%) of large cardamom growers in the study area. About 35 percent of farmers were belonging to the low entrepreneurial behavior and only a few numbers of farmers (17.5%) were under the high entrepreneurial behavior category. The high number of farmers with low and medium entrepreneurial behavior and a low number of farmers with high entrepreneurial behavior has resulted in poor commercialization of large cardamom in the study area. Educational status, landholding, extension participation, economic motivation, experience in large cardamom farming, and area of large cardamom cultivation were found to have a significant correlation with the entrepreneurial behavior of large cardamom farmers while age had a negative and significant effect. There is still scope to increase the number of large cardamom farmers with high entrepreneur behavior for commercializing large cardamom in the study area but programs should be designed and implemented accordingly

Effects of organic manures on yield and yield attributes of coffee (Coffea arabica L.) genotypes

An experiment was carried out to determine the effects of organic sources of fertilizers on yield and yield parameters of five coffee (Coffea arabica) genotypes at Gulmi district in 2015 to 2021. Five different source of organic manures (mustard cake @ 2 kg/plant, poultry manure @ 2.5 kg/plant, vermi compost @ 3 kg/plant, goat manure @ 4 kg/plant and FYM/cattle manure @ 5 kg/plant) was applied on five coffee genotypes (Chhetradip Local, Gulmi Local, Selection-10, Syangja Special and Yellow Cattura). Field experiment was laid out in factorial randomized complete block design with three replications. Irrespective of genotypes, the length of cherry was found maximum (15.3 mm) in mustard cake applied plants which was followed by poultry manure applied plants (15.2 mm). The average cherry length was found longest (15.3 mm) in Yellow Cattura and Syangja Special which was followed by genotype Chhetradip Local (15.1 mm). The highest diameter of cherry (12.7 mm) was obtained with the use of mustard cake followed by poultry manure (12.4 mm). The application of mustard cake produced the highest cherry yield (3.55 kg/plant) followed by poultry manure (3.43 kg/plant). Yellow Cattura produced the highest fresh cherry yield (3.34 kg/ha) followed by Selection-10 (3.07 kg/plant). Results indicate that poultry manure and Yellow Cattura are most effective for higher production of coffee

Minimally Invasive-Closed Reduction and Percutaneous Pinning for Supracondylar Fractures of the Humerus in Children

Introductions: Although Closed Reduction and Percutaneous Pinning is the goldstandard of treatment for Supracondylar fractures (SC) in children, reductionis not always easy. Minimally Invasive, Closed Reduction and PercutaneousPinning (MI-CRPP) reduces the soft tissue trauma and provides easy reduction.We have reviewed the success rate of minimally invasive reduction techniqueand its outcome.Methods: We reviewed the charts of 155 children (97 male, 58 female) ageranging from 2 to 14 years with SC fractures of the humerus who were operatedwith minimally invasive closed reduction and precutaneous pinning fromNovember 2008 to June 2014 at Patan Hospital and Om Hospital. They werefollowed up for a mean of eight (4 to 24) weeks. The K-wires were removed at4 to 6 (average 4.28) weeks.Results: Male children were affected more than female with the ratio being 97to 58. Right side was affected more than left (ratio 89 to 66). Post-operatively,there were six (3.87%) ulnar nerve injury and eight (5.16%) patients came withsuperficial pin tract infection. One hundred and thirteen (72.9%) had excellent,35 (22.58%) good, five (3.23%) fair and two (1.3%) poor results at the eightweek follow-up which was improved to 144 (92.9%) excellent, seven (4.5%)good, three (1.9%) fair and one (0.65%) poor results at the 14 week follow-up.Conclusions: Closed reduction of supracondylar fractures of the humerus inchildren with minimally invasive technique prior to K-wire fixation is a relativelysimple, safe and effective method of achieving satisfactory reduction and goodfunctional outcome.Keywords: cubitus varus deformity, K wire fixation,minimally invasive closedreduction and precutaneous pinning, supracondylar fracture

Intellectual Property Right on Basmati Rice: Current Scenario and Evidences of Origin, Diversity, Cultivation and Use Values of Basmati Rice in Nepal

Basmati rice, also called the king/prince of rice landraces has very special values in Nepalese society as well as in other countries of Indian Subcontinent. With the objectives of collecting, analyzing and documenting Basmati related information in Nepal, we visited different sites; carried out key informant surveys; organized focus group discussions, online interaction and discussion meetings; requested all relevant offices/ persons/ stakeholders through phone, website, and letter to share information; organized high level official meeting, and Basmati rice expert meeting; documented video documentary and did online as well as library search. Because of its high market value at global level, many countries and organizations have been attempting to get intellectual property rights (mainly patent and geographical indication tag) on Basmati rice. India applied for GI tag to Basmati rice in the European Union (EU) in July 2018, and Nepal submitted opposition letter along with proofs and evidences of origin, diversity, cultivation and use values of Basmati rice on 9 December 2020. A total 133 Basmati type rice landraces are grown in 60 districts of Nepal. Basmati rice is traditionally grown, sold, and consumed in geographically localized areas of Nepal since ancient time. International and national scientists have defined lower altitude of Nepal as one of the centers of origin of Basmati rice. Many Nepalese basmati rice landraces have been characterized and evaluated using morphological traits, isozymes and DNA markers. Four basmati type of rice landraces have been registered in National Seed Board. Many community seed banks have maintained different types of Basmati rice landraces. National Agriculture Genetic Resources Center and International genebanks have collected more than 80 and conserved 68 basmati landraces. Basmati rice landraces have geo-linked traits. The historical culture of production, consumption and marketing of native basmati rice in Nepal should always be favored by both national and international rules and regulations. Nepal has ample and valid evidences to get geographical indication (GI) right on Basmati rice

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

A decline in land and water productivity, increase in the cost of cultivation, and labor-intensive practices are affecting the cereal-based farming system in Nepal, particularly in the Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP). Conservation agriculture (CA) practices have been found to be the climate-, energy-, and labor-smart and sustainable agricultural production technologies. Sustainable and Resilient Farming System Intensification (SRFSI) has been working since 2014 in response to the sustainability of the cereal-based (rice–wheat and rice–maize) farming in Sunsari and Dhanusha districts of Nepal. This study was conducted to assess the adoption and scaling up of CA in addition to input usage, production, net profit, benefit to cost (B:C) ratio, and labor use of CA practice on average scale land holdings in Sunsari district. The study employed structured questionnaires and key informant surveys as the main data collection tools and project reports were used as secondary data. Results revealed that farmers had several tangible advantages: lower labor utilization per area (71 people day−1 ha−1 as compared to 106 for conventional), lower input cost (NRs. 78,395 ha−1 as compared to 102,727 ha−1), less irrigation with regards to ponding time (50%) as compared to conventional practice, and higher crop productivity (8.11 t ha−1 as compared to 8.08 t ha−1 in rice–wheat and 13.1 t ha−1 as compared to 11.75 t ha−1in conventional rice–maize) farming system through the adoption of CA practices. This study assessed the potential of CA-based practices in a cereal-based cropping system to improve the yields and net profit for sustainability

Energy Gardens for Small-Scale Farmers in Nepal Institutions, Species and Technology. Field Work Report

The Nepal Energy Garden forges new links across disciplines by integrating research on the institutional economics of energy and technology transfer with the knowledge of botanists and engineers. The objectives are fourfold: to investigate the institutional economics of energy biomass and biofuel production from local to national and global scales to undertake a technical assessment of resources and conversion routes to combine the institutional and technical analyses to devise ways for community cooperation on sustainable energy production to transfer the knowledge gained to a wide international audience. The energy garden concept originates from an idea developed by the Hassan Biofuels Park in India and will follow their approach for using local plant species as the source of biofuels, thereby avoiding loss of biodiversity as much as possible, and using marginal land to avoid competition with food crops. The project is a partnership of four organisations in Nepal and the Hassan Biofuels Park. The objectives will be achieved through a combination of policy analysis, reviews of plant species, analysis of technical options and field work in the villages. The aim is to test the feasibility of expanding the successful Energy Garden approach to Nepal and worldwide