A model based on small and me dium-size hu man set tle ments across the moun tain ous and hilly zones of Ne pal, where small and large val leys con sti tute ideal is lands for the es tab lish ment of typ i cal ur ban cen tres, seems to be the best pos si ble op tion for the coun try.
This study was carried out to examine the impact of migration on rural employment and earnings in the Western Development Region of Nepal. Spatial mobility in expectation of employment and earning opportunities has remained a phenomenon in rural areas. Destinations of migrants have either been long or short distance. However, rural-to-rural migration has not contributed to occupational mobility and attainment of a higher level of earnings at the place of destination in comparison to the native population who have stayed behind. Temporary migration, largely to India, has resulted in occupational mobility, reduced rural underemployment, and contributed higher cash income to the participating households. Consequently, households with temporary outmigrant members who contribute to household earnings by salary, remittances, or pension, distinctly increase the earning level of this group and is significantly higher than that of households without any migrant members. The temporary outmigration of at least one member from more than one-third of total rural households has not had a negative impact on the subsistence production of agriculture.
After having demonstrated the beneficial effects of stinging nettle supplementation in poultry and pigs, a month long on-station pilot trial in 10 lactating cattle of second to third stage of parity at Cattle Research Programme at Nepal Agricultural Research Council, Lalitpur was carried out. Daily supplementation of 20 gm nettle powder to dairy cattle resulted in enhanced milk production by 0.9 litres on an average compared to milk yield before nettle supplementation (3.2 litres/day versus 4.1 litres/day). After the on-station pilot trial; an on-farm trial in Tanahun, 150 km west of Kathmandu was carried out in 12 lactating Jersey cross cows by daily supplementation of 20 gm (T1) and 40 gm (T2) of nettle powder in two groups (n=4 cows/group) of cattle and productive performance was compared with control. Milk yield in terms of quantity and quality was recorded one week prior and during nettle supplementation. Qualitative analysis of milk samples was done every 14 days to measure levels of milk fat, solid non-fat and milk protein using Lactoscan. Available data on on-farm trial showed that there was increment in milk production in both treatment (T1 and T2) groups by 8.08% and 10.19%, respectively against control. Similarly, fat percentage was also increased compared to fat level prior to nettle supplementation in both T1 (3.52% vs. 4.15%) and T2 (3.46% vs. 4.46%) groups while in control group there was very negligible change (3.24% vs. 3.33%). Likewise, there were also remarkable increment in solid non-fat (SNF) and milk protein in nettle fed groups against control. Furthermore, overall body condition score in nettle supplemented group was better than that of control towards the end of supplementation. Our findings exhibited the beneficial effects of stinging nettle supplementation in enhancing the quantity and quality milk yield besides improving body condition score of the dairy cattle.
This paper summarizes the socioeconomic variables that characterize agricultural production in a semi-subsistence rural economy. The findings confirm the agricultural practice in the Western Development Region of Nepal to be semi-subsistence, that is, farming in small areas that are not viable for large-scale commercialization, limited use of improved varieties of crops, production mainly for domestic or local consumption and livestock rearing in small herds, These features, which are characteristic of lack of modernization and commercialization, describe production in this economy better than any other socioeconomic variables.
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