Migration to and from the Nepal terai: shifting movements and motives

In Nepal, the historical evidence shows that migration to the terai increased after the eradication of malaria in the late 1950s and has been increasing ever since. More recently, however, out-migration from the terai is rapidly increasing. By applying both qualitative and quantitative research methods, in-depth qualitative interviews, focus group discussions and household survey were used for data collection, with considerable inputs from ethnographical fieldwork for about 21 months. The paper presents three types of population flows in the historical pattern. First, the history of Nepal as an arena of population movement; second, the gradual opening up of the terai, leading to the hills-terai movement; and the third, the current outward flow as an individual migration for work. The paper exemplifies that poverty and lack of arable land are not the only push factors, but that pursuing a better quality of life is gaining importance as a migration motive. We conclude that like movements of people, their motives for moving are also not static and cannot be taken for granted

Gender, rainfall endowment, and farmers’ heterogeneity in wheat trait preference in Ethiopia

Paper presented at the 7th African Conference of Agricultural Economics, 18-21 September 2021, Durban, South Africa. More information on the conference can be found here: https://www.acae2023.org

Differences on the Wheat Trait Preferences Between Women and Men from the Same Household

Public breeding programs rarely consider farmers' needs and preferences, especially gender based preferences, in developing improved varieties for farmers. Our research examined how personal, household, agronomic and ecological characteristics of wheat-growers in Bihar, India, affect female and male farmers' wheat trait choices. A total of 1,003 households with both male and female from the same household were interviewed. The results imply that gender influences the preferences for wheat traits. Some traits are favored by both men and women, however in other instances there are striking disparities. Men chose wheat varieties that are well adapted to extreme climate conditions, have a higher grain yield, and produce chapatis with a superior taste, while women preferred wheat types with superior chapati making quality, higher grain yield, and high market prices. Other socioeconomic, agronomic, cultural, and geolocation factors also had a considerable impact on trait preferences. These human dimensions of traits preferred by women and men farmers may be considered when selecting combinations of traits to develop breeding product profiles for certain market segments

Responsible agricultural mechanization innovation for the sustainable development of Nepal’s hillside farming system

Agricultural mechanization in developing countries has taken at least two contested innovation pathways—the “incumbent trajectory” that promotes industrial agriculture, and an “alternative pathway” that supports small-scale mechanization for sustainable development of hillside farming systems. Although both pathways can potentially reduce human and animal drudgery, the body of literature that assesses the sustainability impacts of these mechanization pathways in the local ecological, socio-economic, cultural, and historical contexts of hillside farms is either nonexistent or under-theorized. This paper addresses this missing literature by examining the case of Nepal’s first Agricultural Mechanization Promotion Policy 2014 (AMPP) using a conceptual framework of what will be defined as “responsible innovation”. The historical context of this assessment involves the incumbent trajectory of mechanization in the country since the late 1960s that neglected smallholder farms located in the hills and mountains and biased mechanization policy for flat areas only. Findings from this study suggest that the AMPP addressed issues for smallholder production, including gender inequality, exclusion of smallholder farmers, and biophysical challenges associated with hillside farming systems, but it remains unclear whether and how the policy promotes small-scale agricultural mechanization for sustainable development of agriculture in the hills and mountains of Nepal

Examining the wheat seed delivery system in Bihar, India, using a gender lens

An effective seed system gives all farmers access to quality seed, reliable information, and up-to-date knowledge of improved varieties and seed practices. Despite significant progress in developing improved wheat varieties, many of these improved varieties have not reached the farmers, especially women, poor, and marginalized farmers. Taking the case of a district in Bihar, India, this paper finds that the existing wheat seed delivery system largely ignores the potential of women farmers to play a significant role in seed production, distribution, or adoption; and that farmer feedback mechanisms are almost non-existent, especially among women. Using a small-scale, mixed, inductive, and broad-based research design, the paper suggests measures for gender-responsive seed delivery systems: improved access to information, especially to women and marginal farmers; promoting women-led groups (like JEEViKA) for their better engagement and empowerment; educating village retailers; developing mechanisms for better collaboration with bigger private seed companies; and increased collaboration among seed stakeholders

Migration to and from the Nepal terai: shifting movements and motives

In Nepal, the historical evidence shows that migration to the terai increased after the eradication of malaria in the late 1950s and has been increasing ever since. More recently, however, out-migration from the terai is rapidly increasing. By applying both qualitative and quantitative research methods, in-depth qualitative interviews, focus group discussions and household survey were used for data collection, with considerable inputs from ethnographical fieldwork for about 21 months. The paper presents three types of population flows in the historical pattern. First, the history of Nepal as an arena of population movement; second, the gradual opening up of the terai, leading to the hills-terai movement; and the third, the current outward flow as an individual migration for work. The paper exemplifies that poverty and lack of arable land are not the only push factors, but that pursuing a better quality of life is gaining importance as a migration motive. We conclude that like movements of people, their motives for moving are also not static and cannot be taken for granted

Land Redistribution and Reutilization in the Context of Migration in Rural Nepal

Land is an integral part of people’s culture, economy, and livelihoods. Social and temporal mobility of people affect land acquisition, distribution, and utilization, which consequently impacts on food security and human wellbeing. Using the data collected by means of household survey, focus group discussions, in-depth interviews, and participant observation, this paper examines the dynamics of land-people relationships, mainly acquisition, redistribution, and reutilization of land, in the context of human migration. The study reveals that food self-sufficiency, household size, age of household head, household asset, total income from non-agricultural sources, and migration status, affect the acquisition or size of landholding in a household. Moreover, land appears to be mobile within and across villages through changes in labour availability, changing access to land, and ethnic interactions caused partly by migration of people. We conclude that mobility of land appears to be an inseparable component of land-people relationships, especially in the context of human migration that offers redistribution and reutilization of land