Abstract only

Maize, the most important cereal crop in the hills of Nepal, is used as food and stover for animal fodder. Furthermore, it is a traditional cereal crop and farmers have developed farming systems that efficiently utilize the resources that are available to them. Average maize yields, over the period 1970 to 1984, declined from 1.9 t/ha to 1.4 t/ha. Since 1984, however, yields have improved to around 1.8 t/ha. Maize farms are small and population pressure necessitates the intensification of existing farming systems. Research directed at developing technologies for maize production began in 1965. In 2000, a survey was carried out in two districts of Nepal to determine the current level of adoption of improved maize production practices. In each of these districts, remote and accessible Village Development Committees (VDCs) were surveyed. Questionnaires were administered to 54 randomly selected households in each of these VDCs. Data analysis determined the socioeconomic, physical, and technological factors that influence the use of technology by farmers. All households use composted farm yard manure (FYM) as part of their fertility management strategy, On average, 75% of the farmers used inorganic fertilizers, primarily urea. However, use patterns varied considerably depending on location. Urea use was considerably higher in Dolakha, regardless of the remoteness of the VDC, than in Dailekh, and the adoption of the use of fertilizers occurred five years earlier in Dolakha than in Dailekh. Only 32% of the farmers used fertilizers in the remote VDC of Dailekh. Somewhat surprisingly, availability was not mentioned as a serious constraint to the use of fertilizers in Dailekh district. Averaged across the two districts, the use of improved open pollinated varieties (OPVs) of maize was less than 30%. The highest use of OPVs (59%) was recorded in the accessible VOC of Dolakha and the lowest use (13%) in the inaccessible VDC of Dailekh. The adoption of improved OPVs was consistently less than the adoption of fertilizers in all VOCs. The main reason for the non-use of OPVs in Dolakha was the lack of availability of seed, while in Dailekh it was the lack of know ledge of the new varieties. Data from this impact assessment exercise suggests that the strategy for improving the adoption of new technologies may be quite different for the two districts. Since the lack of information and experience with the new technologies is the major constraint to their adoption in Dailekh, a program of more intensive on-farm demonstrations and testing is probably justifiable. In Dolakha, on the other hand, availability is more constraining than knowledge. Therefore, actions should focus on improving the availability of inputs. Community-based seed production programs should be supported and policy / institutional adjustments should be made to ensure the timely delivery of fertilizers to the locations where they are needed.

English

0309|R01CIMPU|AGRIS 0301|AL-Economics Program

Juan Carlos Mendieta

CIMMYT Staff Publications Collection