Cereal crops have played major roles in addressing food security issues in Nepal. In recent years there have been fluctuations in crop production and demands situations due to various reasons. Thus, the present study aims to analyze the dynamics of major cereals productivity in Nepal from 1995 to 2014. Focus group discussions were done in mid-hills and tarai of Nepal in 2015. Percentage change, compound growth rate, annual rate of change, coefficient of variation, instability index were calculated to analyze results. The result shows that the area, production and productivity of major cereals had an increasing trend over the study period. The major factors contributing on productivity increase in cereal crops were irrigation facilities, use of improved and hybrid seeds, chemical fertilizer and better technical knowhow among the farmers. For effective adoption of research outputs to improve the productivity emphasis should also be given on promotion of public private partnership (PPP) in research and development.
Nepal is one of the top twenty countries where potato contributes substantially for the human diet. Enhancing adoption of improved potato varieties could impact on farmer's income, household food and nutritional security. As such, using a multistage sampling procedure, a study was conducted to assess the determinants of improved potato varieties adoption in Nepal covering 180 samples in four districts, two in hills and two in Tarai region. The study revealed that; Kavre and Bardiya districts in the hills and Tarai, respectively, were dominated by improved potato varieties adoption. On the other hand, Dhankuta and Jhapa in the hills and Tarai, respectively, were dominated by local potato varieties adoption. The informal seed sources followed by agro-vet and market were the major sources for improved varietal adoption. Farmers' accesses to training and formal seed sources were important factor determining improved potato varietal adoption. However, households with larger farm size were less likely to allocate more area for improved potato varieties as many of farmers were reluctant to take potato cultivation as agri-business and still follow subsistence farming. Potato R&D programs, therefore, need to strengthen formal seed system to enhance access to quality potato seeds and build producer's capacity through regular training and exposer visits in order to improve adoption of improved potato varieties in Nepal.
This study analyses the gaps and issues in the production and distribution system of maize seed in Nepal. A total of 682 households were surveyed in 2017 by employing multistage random sampling with probability proportionate to size by representing different (tarai and hill) agro-ecological zones. Twelve focus group discussions (FGDs) and four key informant interviews (KII) were also carried out. Results showed that the old varieties like Rampur Composite and Manakamana-3 are still popular in the farmers' fields. The cost of seed production was about 48% and the profit of the producer was 18% of the consumer price. The share of wholesalers was 15% of the consumer price whereas it was 19% for retailer/agro-vet. The average total cost of production was found to be $1392/ha and gross income was $1925/ha with the 1.38 average B: C ratio; it is, therefore, a lucrative enterprise. Out of a total of 27 released varieties, only 12 varieties have been used in seed production. Results revealed that 83% of the farmers cultivate open-pollinated maize varieties whereas 17% of them cultivate hybrid maize varieties. Seventy-five per cent of seed was from a formal source. The maize productivity, hybrid maize area, and seed replacement were below the targets set in Nepals’ National Seed Vision, a policy document of the government. Focus on the production of nucleus and breeder seed by Government research farms and use of these seeds by private seed companies and community seed producing groups to produce next generation foundation seeds are urgently required. Equally important is enabling private and community-based organizations to produce hybrid seeds of the crop.
Millet is an important food crop for ensuring food and nutrition security of smallholder farmers and marginalized communities in the hill and mountain of Nepal. The main objectives of the study were to assess prospects and potentiality of millet by analysing the area, production, productivity, and trade for the year 2009-2019. The study used a combination of exploratory survey and secondary data for assessing the production system, compound growth rate, coefficient of variation (CV), instability index (IIN), and trade specialization index. The results of the study are compiled and the synthesis of the analysis is presented in both tabular and graphic forms. Growth rate analysis showed that the area of millet is declining but the import value, production, and yield were increasing at the rate of 14.62, 0.47, and 0.73 percent per annum respectively. Import and export values and quantity showed higher CV as well as IIN while area, production, and yield showed lower values. The trade specialization index was found as -0.992, which indicates that millet is in the introduction phase. Out of the total millets area, 78% of the area lies in the hill, 19% in the mountain, and only 3% in the terai. The highest area and production can be observed in Bagmati province while the least was observed in province no two. The study implies that there is a need to increase production and productivity to reduce increasing imports and make the country self-reliant in millet production with increased investment in research and development and adequate support from national policies and programs.
Credit has been considered to play a pivotal role in the agricultural development of Nepal. A large number of institutions are involved in the disbursement of credit to agriculture. In this backdrop, the present study has examined the performance of agricultural credit and has identified the determinants of increased use of credit at the farm household level in Nepal. The study was based on survey data consisting of 107 samples collected randomly from the Chitwan district. The study has revealed that the quantum of credit availed by the farming households is affected by several socio-demographic factors which include caste, economically active population, food sufficiency, and membership in an organization. The research revealed that if the household is Brahmin/ Chettri, the probability of borrowing loans decreased by 32% as compared to other castes. Similarly, if the household’s economically active population increased by one unit, the probability of taking a loan increased by 16%. The results also show that, if household food sufficiency increased by one month the probability of taking loans decreased by 4 % but if the household head is a member of an organization, the probability of taking a loan increased by 28%. The congenial environment to increase the involvement of the household head to an organization like cooperative and farmers group, increasing the food self-sufficiency through productivity enhancement program and creating awareness on credit utilization helps to increase credit use performance in Agriculture.
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