Nepal is divided by various social exclusions, including discriminations that are ethnic-, gender-, casteand class-based (eg, landlord-tenant relationships). Partly as a result of these inequalities, rich farmers have typically benefited more from interventions. The Hill Maize Research Project (HMRP) emphasizes partnership and participatory approaches and offers new maize varieties to more than 5000 farm families annually through partners to improve the food security of poor and marginalized families in the hilly areas of Nepal for whom maize is a staple food. Surveys were commissioned to measure the extent to which the new varieties have contributed to food security. A total of 230 households from seven locations across the mid-hills representing different socioeconomic, ethnic and gender divides were randomly surveyed to assess the changes in household food security. Use of new varieties either through participatory varietal selection (PVS) or community-based seed production (CBSP) has helped to increase production by more than 50% over existing local varieties (2.4 t ha-1). Farmers adopted new varieties with greater yield potential, and these gains were also extended to food-deficit households from disadvantaged groups. Yield advantages were more commonly reported by female- (59%) over male-headed hosueholds (45%); dalit (61%) and janajati (56%) over privileged households (51%); and poor (C category = 62%, B = 53%) over elite households (A = 40%)1. There was significant improvement in food security irrespective of gender, ethnicity and socioeconomic class distinctions. Women- and men-headed households shared the same benefit of food security increase (23%); dalit and janajati households had higher food availability at the household level over privileged castes; similarly, food-deficit (C, B) over food-surplus households (A). This is indicative of the contribution of a targeted approach that is more inclusive and thereby contradicts earlier findings that maize research and development efforts only benefit the richer households.

Conservation Agriculture Program|Global Maize Program

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INT0317|INT3018