Characterization of Farming System and Determinants of Adoption of Horticultural Enterprises in Achham, Nepal

Nepal's rural agriculture is characterized by its diverse and interconnected system of farming. The Ghaghara/Karnali river system in the northwest of Nepal represents the typical rural farming system. A study was conducted in 2019 in the Mid-hill district of Achham, Nepal in the same river system with the aim of studying the farming system, its features, and different factors that influence the horticultural enterprise adoption by the farmers. A total of 130 respondents were selected from the Panchadewal Binayak Municipality of Achham district of Nepal using the multi-stage purposive random sampling approach. Beside the characteristics of Farming system; various factors that determine the horticultural enterprise adoption were examined using the binary logit regression model. The integrated or multi-enterprise farming system was found to be dominated by three primary enterprises: horticulture, livestock, and agronomy. The pattern of household participation in each enterprise under study was substantially the same, with almost three fourth of the household choosing main grain crops, and horticultural crops especially vegetables; around 85% adopting livestock in an integration system, and only about 13% fruit trees. The study demonstrated that among the many factors under inquiry, the gender of household head, size of the family and visit by the extension workers influences the farmer’s decision on adoption of horticultural enterprise significantly. Though non-significant, age, level of education, farming experience, agriculture as primary occupation and credit facilities also positively plays the role in decision of horticultural enterprise adoption. Ethnicity, years of residence in same location, dependency ratio, total land size, training and visit to extension worker were negatively associated with farmers' decisions regarding horticulture enterprises. Thus, for the development of agriculture in rural areas with a higher adoption of horticultural enterprise which as higher potentialities in the rural agricultural system in Nepal, it is necessary to consider the role of various socioeconomic and personality variables in farmers decision to adopt the type of farm enterprise

Feminization of Agriculture in Nepal and its implications: Addressing Gender in Workload and Decision Making

The study assesses the two approaches of feminization: labor and managerial, and explores the implication of feminization in agricultural production in Gorkha and Chitwan district of Nepal. We examine the degree to which men, women or men and women jointly make agriculture-related decisions, and discuss the labor feminization and managerial feminization using five domains of the Women Empowerment in Agriculture Index (WEAI), relative to the degree to which women’s decision-making power relates to the feminization of agriculture leading to women empowerment and food security. The results revealed that the average workload for women (86.50 hours/week) was more than that for men (55.52 hours/week). Workload was found significantly affected by the total cultivated area (ha), gender of household head, occupation, number of livestock holdings, number of children, number of elders and household location.All aspects of operational and strategic decision making were dominated by jointly made decisions, except in the case of income utilization where female showed dominance. The implication of feminization in agriculture is reflected by reduction in cropping cycle, lower productivity of cereals and vegetables which led to food insecurity by own production. The income from remittance was observed to be mainly used for consumption purposes to ensure food security. It appears that the feminization of agriculture leads to women playing not only important role in decision-making but also more responsibilities and heavier workloads without necessarily resulting in empowerment and improvement in well-being

Health-Seeking Behaviors and Self-Care Practices of People with Filarial Lymphoedema in Nepal: A Qualitative Study

Background. Lymphatic filariasis is endemic in Nepal. This study aimed to investigate health-seeking behaviors and self-care practices of people with filarial Lymphoedema in Nepal. Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted using qualitative methods in three endemic districts. Twenty-three patients with current Lymphoedema were recruited in the study. Results. Hydrocele was found to be a well-known condition and a major health problem in the studied communities. People with Lymphoedema primarily sought health care from traditional healers, whereas sometimes home-based care was their first treatment. Later Ayurvedic and allopathic hospital-based care were sought. Respondents reported various psychological problems such as difficulty in engaging in sexual intercourse, anxiety, worry and stress, depression, low self-esteem, feeling weak, fear of being abandoned, and fear of transmitting disease to the children. Standard foot care practices except washing were largely absent. Conclusions. Lymphoedema in the limbs and hydrocele were found to be major health problems. The traditional health care providers were the first contact of care for the majority of respondents. Only a few patients had been practicing standard foot care practices

Major phenolic compounds, antioxidant, antimicrobial, and cytotoxic activities of Selinum carvifolia (L.) collected from different altitudes in India

Antibiotic resistance poses a serious threat to public health, raising the number of diseases in the community. Recent research has shown that plant-derived phenolic compounds have strong antimicrobial, antifungal, and cytotoxic properties against a variety of microorganisms and work as great antioxidants in such treatments. The goal of the current work is to evaluate the anticancerous, antibacterial, antifungal, antioxidant, and cytotoxicity activities in the extracts of the different plant parts (leaves, stems, and roots) of S. carvifolia (L.) L. This is a medicinally important plant and has been used for different kinds of diseases and ailments such as hysteria and seizures. The phenolic compounds from the different plant parts were analyzed using HPLC and the following were found to be present: chlorogenic acid, gallic acid, rutin, syringic acid, vanillic acid, cinnamic acid, caffeic acid, and protocatechuic acid. Gallic acid was found to have the highest concentration (13.93 mg/g), while chlorogenic acid (0.25 mg/g) had the lowest. The maximum TPC value, which ranged from 33.79 to 57.95 mg GAE/g dry extract weight, was found in the stem. Root extract with 9.4 mg RE/g had the greatest TFC level. In the leaf and stem extracts, the RSC ranged from 0.747 mg/mL to 0.734 mg/1 mL GE/g dry extract weight, respectively. The 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay was used to measure in vitro antioxidant activity. In a concentration-dependent way, promising antioxidant activity was reported. Moreover, 3,5-dinitrosalicylic acid (DNSA) and the Folin–Ciocalteu phenol reagent technique were used to determine reducing sugar content and total phenolic content, respectively. Antibacterial activity against eight strains (MIC: 250–1,000 μg/mL) was analyzed, and the stem extract exhibited maximum activity. Antifungal activity was also assessed, and potent activity was reported especially in the extract obtained from the stem. Cytotoxicity was evaluated using an MTT assay in the A549 cell line, where different doses (0.0625, 0.125, 0.25, 0.5, and 1 mg/mL) of leaf, root, and stem extracts were used. Treatment with these extracts reduced the cell viability, indicating that S. carvifolia may possess anticancer potential, which can be of great therapeutic value

From the Shadows to the Spotlight: Unveiling Nepal's hidden kingdom of mushrooms and lichens through digitization

The digitization of herbarium collections has brought forth a transformative journey, transitioning Nepal's hidden kingdom of mushrooms and lichens from the shadows into the spotlight. Through a collaborative work within the framework of Global Biodiversity Information Facility's Biodiversity Information Fund for Asia (GBIF-BIFA), involving the herbaria (KATH: Nepal's National Herbarium and Plant Laboratories and TUCH: Natural History Museum, Tribhuvan University, Nepal), and the research institute, Global Institute for Interdisciplinary Studies (GIIS), a successful unveiling of Nepal's mycological treasures has been achieved through digital means. A comprehensive digitization effort has resulted in the complete digitization of 3,971 mushroom specimens and 2,462 lichen specimens, illuminating a wealth of information for researchers, citizen scientists, and the general public. GBIF and the online database maintained by Nepal's National Herbarium and Plant Laboratories, Department of Plant Resources, serve as the gateway to this work (KATH 2021). Prior to this work, the specimens resided in the shadows, lacking the recognition they deserved. Through meticulous collection management, sorting, curation, and labeling, their secrets were unveiled, and their stories brought to our fingertips. These previously obscured specimens now possess registered individual catalogue numbers, allowing the quantification of Nepal's fungal wealth within the participating institutions. This project serves as a testament to the vital role of capturing available field-level data, preserving specimens, and harnessing the power of digitization to showcase Nepal's mycological and lichenological wonders to a global audience. Meanwhile, it has also emphasized the significance of sharing this knowledge and fostering appreciation for the overlooked world of mushrooms and lichens

Ethnolichenology—The Use of Lichens in the Himalayas and Southwestern Parts of China

Lichens are used in traditional medicine, food and various other ethnic uses by cultures across the Himalayas and southwestern parts of China. Evidence-based knowledge from historical and modern literatures and investigation of ethnic uses from 1990 proved that lichen species used as medicine in the Himalayas and southwestern parts of China totaled to 142 species; furthermore, 42 species were utilized as food. Moreover, some lichens are popularly used for lichen produce in ethnic and modern life. An understanding and clarification of the use of lichens in the Himalayas and southeastern parts of China can therefore be important for understanding uses of lichens elsewhere and a reference for additional research of lichen uses in the future

Characterization Of Microsatellite Loci In The Himalayan Lichen Fungus Lobaria Pindarensis (Lobariaceae)

• Premise of the study: Microsatellite loci were developed for the rare, Himalayan, endemic haploid lichen fungus, Lobaria pindarensis, to study its population subdivision and the species’ response to forest disturbance and fragmentation. • Methods and Results: We developed 18 polymorphic microsatellite markers using 454 pyrosequencing data and assessed them in 109 individuals. The number of alleles per locus ranged from three to 11 with an average of 6.9. Nei's unbiased gene diversity, averaged over loci, ranged from 0.514 to 0.685 in the three populations studied. The cross‐amplification success with related species (L. chinensis, L. gyrophorica, L. isidiophora, L. orientalis, L. pulmonaria, L. spathulata, and Lobaria sp.) was generally high and decreased with decreasing relationship to L. pindarensis. • Conclusions: The new markers will allow the study of genetic diversity and differentiation within L. pindarensis across its distribution. Moreover, they will enable us to study the effects of forest management on the genetic population structure of this tree‐colonizing lichen and to carry out population genetic studies of related species in East Asia.ISSN:2168-045