The purpose of this study was to assess the variation on agro-morphological traits and grain yiel... more The purpose of this study was to assess the variation on agro-morphological traits and grain yield. A set of 14 early maize genotypes were studied at research field of Regional Agricultural Research Station (RARS), Doti, Nepal in summer seasons of 2015 and 2016. The experiment was carried out in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications in each year. The variation among genotypes was observed for grain yield and flowering. The genotype SO3TEY-PO-BM produced the highest grain yield (4.33 t/ha) in 2015 whereas Rajahar Local Variety produced the highest grain yield (2.52 t/ha) in 2016. The combined analysis over years showed that Farmer’s variety was found earlier in tasseling (36 days) and silking (39 days), followed by S97TEYGHAYB(3) in tasseling (45 days) and by S97TEYGHAYB(3) and Arun-4 in silking (48 days). EEYC1 produced the highest grain yield (3.17 t/ha), followed by COMPOL-NIBP (3.09 t/ha), SO3TEY-PO-BM (2.90 t/ha), S97TEYGHAYB(3) (2.78 t/ha) and Rajahar ...
A value chain is a set of linked activities that work to add value to a product. The study on val... more A value chain is a set of linked activities that work to add value to a product. The study on value chain analysis of large cardamom (Amomum subulatum Roxb) was conducted in Ilam District, Nepal during May-August, 2017. The farmers, input suppliers, traders and concerend officials were key actors of this research. The 30 farmers, 10 input suppliers and 15 traders were selected randomly. The findings showed that area of large cardamom and its production are in decreasing trend. Majority of farmers were using suckers detached from mother rhizomes as planting materials which was main cause of disease transmission. Farmers used traditional dryer (Bhatti) for the curing, that reduced the quality of large cardamom. Farmers were not undertaking value addition like tail removing, grading and packaging which was performed at trader level. The price trend showed that the average price was higher in 2013/14, it was found highly fluctuating. Financial analysis revealed that enterprise was highl...
Farmers have a set of convictions and tend to do what their forefathers had practiced. By identif... more 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...
The crop productivity of far western region of Nepal is lower than that of the other regions of N... more The crop productivity of far western region of Nepal is lower than that of the other regions of Nepal. The existing cultivation practices of this research area are conventional tillage (CT). Zero tillage (ZT) has been found as an effective crop management practice to rejuvenate soil fertility and increase crop yield. This research was conducted at Masuriya, Kailali district, the outreach site of Regional Agriculture Research Station (RARS), Doti, Nepal during October 2017 to March 2018 with the objective of identifying suitable tillage practice for high wheat crop profitability. ZT and CT were used as two treatments in 11 farmers’ fields. Seed-cum-fertilizer drill machine was used in ZT, whereas CT as farmers’ practice and field data as well as farmers’ perceptions were collected for analysis. The results revealed that farmers saved 10% human labour, 41.67% machinery labour and 25% seed amount in ZT compared to CT method. The net return of wheat was NRs. 54, 255.5/ha in ZT and NRs. 39298/ha in CT method of wheat production. The benefit: cost ratio was found 2.38 in ZT compared to 1.83 in CT which is 23.64% more over CT method. Similarly, grain yield was found to be increased by 6.28% in ZT method. Farmers who had adopted ZT method of wheat cultivation were found interested for the continuation of this technology in future too. The ZT technology is an important alternative to save the scare resources and reduce the cost of production and enhance the net farm income with higher benefit: cost ratio.
Large Cardamom, one of the high value spice crop has gained renewed interest among farmers since ... more Large Cardamom, one of the high value spice crop has gained renewed interest among farmers since last decade in Nepal. Higher net return and suitability in wider range of mid hills in Nepal is a major factor attracting this crop for the replacement of other crops. Despite profitability, there are major challenges in production due to biotic factors. Serious yield losses in this crop has reported during past 10 years and as this is perennial, farmers are disapointed with the current production and profitability for long run. In this study, an attempt has been made to explore potential causes of the decline in in eastern hills of Nepal. For this, household survey was conducted in five districts of eastern Nepal during 2016. Lack of disease resistant/tolerant varietal option and inadequate management practices are reported to be the major problems for promoting disease spread in the eastern region. The public sectors have been unable to fulfil the high demand of new saplings. Rhizome r...
South Asian Journal of Social Studies and Economics
The study was conducted to analyze the socioeconomic factors and profitability of hybrid maize pr... more The study was conducted to analyze the socioeconomic factors and profitability of hybrid maize production in eastern Nepal. A household survey was conducted from March to April, 2017 in two districts Morang and Sunsari to collect information on socioeconomic characteristics and economics of maize production. The Structured questionnaire was administered to 98 randomly selected households from two districts i.e. 41 from Morang and 57 from Sunsari district. Descriptive and statistical tools including multiple regression model were used to analyze the data. The multiple regression model showed that larger the maize area, higher the education of household head and households who received maize farming related training were significant and positive towards maize output. Farmers of Morang district have higher maize production than Sunsari district. The benefit-cost ratio (1.7) indicates that hybrid maize farming was profitable with productivity of 6.9 ton per hectare. Despite the importan...
South Asian Journal of Social Studies and Economics
The purpose of the study was to analyze the value chain of potato in the Ilam district. Potato is... more The purpose of the study was to analyze the value chain of potato in the Ilam district. Potato is one of the major stable food and source of income for the majority rural farmers of the Ilam district. Using random sampling techniques, data were collected using semi-structured household survey with 165 respondents, 50 traders, input and service providers and along with 5 focus group discussion. Data were analyzed using SPSS and excel software. Results of the compound annual growth analysis showed that area, production and productivity is increasing significantly by 8.12, 2.87 and 2.79% respectively over 19 years in the country and 3.78, 2.84, and 3.55 respectively in the Ilam district. The farmers are generally growing local variety however; they also grow some improved varieties. The benefit cost ratio of local varieties is very low (0.68) whereas for improved varieties higher (1.73). Farmers do not adopt the grading and packaging which is generally done by the traders. The import o...
Large Cardamom is major exportable commodities prioritized by Ministry of Commerce and Supply in ... more Large Cardamom is major exportable commodities prioritized by Ministry of Commerce and Supply in Nepal. However, no study has been reported for its financial analysis in the country. In this context, this study was designed and conducted in Ilam, Panchthar, and Taplejung to assess the profitability and financial viability of cardamom production. Primary data needed for the study were collected using structured survey schedule with 30 randomly selected cardamom growers from each selected district in May-July 2017. Primary information mainly compose information on investment cost, operating cost and revenue. Three Focus Group Discussions were also carried out in each district for triangulation of collected information. The secondary data were used for the Compound Annual Growth Analysis and financial analysis. The economic yield starts from the fourth year and remains similar up to 20 years. But, it was found from the study that with the proper management of the crop cultivation packa...
International Journal of Applied Sciences and Biotechnology
Potato (Solanum tuberosum) is grown worldwide in more than 150 countries of the world as staple f... more Potato (Solanum tuberosum) is grown worldwide in more than 150 countries of the world as staple food including Nepal. It is important food crops for food security and fourth most important staple food in Nepal. It contributes 2.17 in Gross Domestic Products and 6.57 in Agriculture Gross Domestic Products. The NARC has established Agriculture Research Station in Jaubari Ilam in 2014 and conducting research mainly on potato. The main objective of this study was to identify the situation of potato cultivation in the vicinity of station and suggest future activities on potato research. The field study was conducted in surroundings of five locations of the station in the hills and mountain area. In each location 35 potato growing respondents were selected randomly for the semi-structured questionnaire survey. One focus group discussion was also made in each location for the triangulation of the household information. Data were analyzed using SPSS, Strata and excel software. The result sh...
The purpose of this study was to assess the variation on agro-morphological traits and grain yiel... more The purpose of this study was to assess the variation on agro-morphological traits and grain yield. A set of 14 early maize genotypes were studied at research field of Regional Agricultural Research Station (RARS), Doti, Nepal in summer seasons of 2015 and 2016. The experiment was carried out in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications in each year. The variation among genotypes was observed for grain yield and flowering. The genotype SO3TEY-PO-BM produced the highest grain yield (4.33 t/ha) in 2015 whereas Rajahar Local Variety produced the highest grain yield (2.52 t/ha) in 2016. The combined analysis over years showed that Farmer’s variety was found earlier in tasseling (36 days) and silking (39 days), followed by S97TEYGHAYB(3) in tasseling (45 days) and by S97TEYGHAYB(3) and Arun-4 in silking (48 days). EEYC1 produced the highest grain yield (3.17 t/ha), followed by COMPOL-NIBP (3.09 t/ha), SO3TEY-PO-BM (2.90 t/ha), S97TEYGHAYB(3) (2.78 t/ha) and Rajahar ...
A value chain is a set of linked activities that work to add value to a product. The study on val... more A value chain is a set of linked activities that work to add value to a product. The study on value chain analysis of large cardamom (Amomum subulatum Roxb) was conducted in Ilam District, Nepal during May-August, 2017. The farmers, input suppliers, traders and concerend officials were key actors of this research. The 30 farmers, 10 input suppliers and 15 traders were selected randomly. The findings showed that area of large cardamom and its production are in decreasing trend. Majority of farmers were using suckers detached from mother rhizomes as planting materials which was main cause of disease transmission. Farmers used traditional dryer (Bhatti) for the curing, that reduced the quality of large cardamom. Farmers were not undertaking value addition like tail removing, grading and packaging which was performed at trader level. The price trend showed that the average price was higher in 2013/14, it was found highly fluctuating. Financial analysis revealed that enterprise was highl...
Farmers have a set of convictions and tend to do what their forefathers had practiced. By identif... more 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...
The crop productivity of far western region of Nepal is lower than that of the other regions of N... more The crop productivity of far western region of Nepal is lower than that of the other regions of Nepal. The existing cultivation practices of this research area are conventional tillage (CT). Zero tillage (ZT) has been found as an effective crop management practice to rejuvenate soil fertility and increase crop yield. This research was conducted at Masuriya, Kailali district, the outreach site of Regional Agriculture Research Station (RARS), Doti, Nepal during October 2017 to March 2018 with the objective of identifying suitable tillage practice for high wheat crop profitability. ZT and CT were used as two treatments in 11 farmers’ fields. Seed-cum-fertilizer drill machine was used in ZT, whereas CT as farmers’ practice and field data as well as farmers’ perceptions were collected for analysis. The results revealed that farmers saved 10% human labour, 41.67% machinery labour and 25% seed amount in ZT compared to CT method. The net return of wheat was NRs. 54, 255.5/ha in ZT and NRs. 39298/ha in CT method of wheat production. The benefit: cost ratio was found 2.38 in ZT compared to 1.83 in CT which is 23.64% more over CT method. Similarly, grain yield was found to be increased by 6.28% in ZT method. Farmers who had adopted ZT method of wheat cultivation were found interested for the continuation of this technology in future too. The ZT technology is an important alternative to save the scare resources and reduce the cost of production and enhance the net farm income with higher benefit: cost ratio.
Large Cardamom, one of the high value spice crop has gained renewed interest among farmers since ... more Large Cardamom, one of the high value spice crop has gained renewed interest among farmers since last decade in Nepal. Higher net return and suitability in wider range of mid hills in Nepal is a major factor attracting this crop for the replacement of other crops. Despite profitability, there are major challenges in production due to biotic factors. Serious yield losses in this crop has reported during past 10 years and as this is perennial, farmers are disapointed with the current production and profitability for long run. In this study, an attempt has been made to explore potential causes of the decline in in eastern hills of Nepal. For this, household survey was conducted in five districts of eastern Nepal during 2016. Lack of disease resistant/tolerant varietal option and inadequate management practices are reported to be the major problems for promoting disease spread in the eastern region. The public sectors have been unable to fulfil the high demand of new saplings. Rhizome r...
South Asian Journal of Social Studies and Economics
The study was conducted to analyze the socioeconomic factors and profitability of hybrid maize pr... more The study was conducted to analyze the socioeconomic factors and profitability of hybrid maize production in eastern Nepal. A household survey was conducted from March to April, 2017 in two districts Morang and Sunsari to collect information on socioeconomic characteristics and economics of maize production. The Structured questionnaire was administered to 98 randomly selected households from two districts i.e. 41 from Morang and 57 from Sunsari district. Descriptive and statistical tools including multiple regression model were used to analyze the data. The multiple regression model showed that larger the maize area, higher the education of household head and households who received maize farming related training were significant and positive towards maize output. Farmers of Morang district have higher maize production than Sunsari district. The benefit-cost ratio (1.7) indicates that hybrid maize farming was profitable with productivity of 6.9 ton per hectare. Despite the importan...
South Asian Journal of Social Studies and Economics
The purpose of the study was to analyze the value chain of potato in the Ilam district. Potato is... more The purpose of the study was to analyze the value chain of potato in the Ilam district. Potato is one of the major stable food and source of income for the majority rural farmers of the Ilam district. Using random sampling techniques, data were collected using semi-structured household survey with 165 respondents, 50 traders, input and service providers and along with 5 focus group discussion. Data were analyzed using SPSS and excel software. Results of the compound annual growth analysis showed that area, production and productivity is increasing significantly by 8.12, 2.87 and 2.79% respectively over 19 years in the country and 3.78, 2.84, and 3.55 respectively in the Ilam district. The farmers are generally growing local variety however; they also grow some improved varieties. The benefit cost ratio of local varieties is very low (0.68) whereas for improved varieties higher (1.73). Farmers do not adopt the grading and packaging which is generally done by the traders. The import o...
Large Cardamom is major exportable commodities prioritized by Ministry of Commerce and Supply in ... more Large Cardamom is major exportable commodities prioritized by Ministry of Commerce and Supply in Nepal. However, no study has been reported for its financial analysis in the country. In this context, this study was designed and conducted in Ilam, Panchthar, and Taplejung to assess the profitability and financial viability of cardamom production. Primary data needed for the study were collected using structured survey schedule with 30 randomly selected cardamom growers from each selected district in May-July 2017. Primary information mainly compose information on investment cost, operating cost and revenue. Three Focus Group Discussions were also carried out in each district for triangulation of collected information. The secondary data were used for the Compound Annual Growth Analysis and financial analysis. The economic yield starts from the fourth year and remains similar up to 20 years. But, it was found from the study that with the proper management of the crop cultivation packa...
International Journal of Applied Sciences and Biotechnology
Potato (Solanum tuberosum) is grown worldwide in more than 150 countries of the world as staple f... more Potato (Solanum tuberosum) is grown worldwide in more than 150 countries of the world as staple food including Nepal. It is important food crops for food security and fourth most important staple food in Nepal. It contributes 2.17 in Gross Domestic Products and 6.57 in Agriculture Gross Domestic Products. The NARC has established Agriculture Research Station in Jaubari Ilam in 2014 and conducting research mainly on potato. The main objective of this study was to identify the situation of potato cultivation in the vicinity of station and suggest future activities on potato research. The field study was conducted in surroundings of five locations of the station in the hills and mountain area. In each location 35 potato growing respondents were selected randomly for the semi-structured questionnaire survey. One focus group discussion was also made in each location for the triangulation of the household information. Data were analyzed using SPSS, Strata and excel software. The result sh...
Uploads
Papers by Keshav Shrestha