Organic farming is increasingly popular among the farmers of Kathmandu valley. However, the organic growers have been facing issues in production, organic certification, and product marketing. To date, little is known about the challenges faced by the organic growers in Kathmandu valley. This study aimed to explore the status of organic farming, attitudes of farmers towards organic farming, their suggestions for improvement, and strengthening the value chain of organic products. Face-to-face interviews were conducted at Agriculture Knowledge Centre, Lalitpur, Nepal during December 2019 with 37 organic growers directly or indirectly involved in organic farming. The results showed that organic growers face challenges in marketing and institutional recognition. Challenges in product certification and marketing were reported by 45.95% of the total interviewed organic growers while they are following organic practices (transitional organic). Our study suggested that reducing the cost of production through easy access to organic inputs like organic seeds, fertilizers, and biopesticides are highly desired by the growers. Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) or group certification along with collective marketing could be the policy implications to address the issues. Organic farming in Kathmandu valley is limited to a niche market; however, due to increasing consumer demand for safe, fresh, and local food the popularity of organic products is increasing to other regions within the country.
Context Poultry products, mostly meat and eggs, provide affordable quality foodstuffs to human populations in Nepal. However, the poultry industry’s by-products, such as litter and offal, also generate potential environmental and human health issues and need a sustainable method of management. Aims The present study compared the effectiveness of vermicomposting by using an exotic earthworm species Eisenia fetida, or effective microorganism-based (EM) composting, of poultry litters in the Terai region of Nepal. Methods Four types of poultry litter, namely, broiler cage litter (parent stock litter), broiler deep litter, commercial layer cage litter and layer deep litter, each combined with earthworms (vermicompost) or effective microorganisms, were subjected to decomposition in beds. A completely randomised design in a 4 × 2 factorial arrangement (poultry litters by Eisenia fetida or effective microorganism) with three replicates per treatment was applied. Key results Macronutrient concentrations, and reduction of the carbon:nitrogen ratio were significantly greater in vermicompost than EM compost. In addition, reduction of the carbon:nitrogen ratio was more significant following vermicomposting for broiler and layer cage litter than in other treatments. The highest initial concentration of N was found in layer cage litter (2.1%) and the lowest in layer deep litter (1.3%) and these increased to 1.5–3.4% and 1.7–1.8% in vermicompost and EM compost respectively. Available phosphorus increased by two- to three-fold in most vermicomposted poultry litters in comparison to initial poultry litters, and a two-fold increase in potassium was likewise achieved. Consistent with these results, worm biomass was significantly higher in layer cage litter and broiler cage litter than in deep litter. More cocoons were evident in layer cage litter, and lowest numbers of cocoon formation were observed in broiler deep litter. Conclusions This comparative study showed that vermicomposting is superior to EM composting for bioconversion of poultry litters into value-added compost. Implications With the adoption of this result, the poultry industry in Nepal could become more sustainable.
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