Evolution of agroforestry based farming systems: a study of Dhanusha District, Nepal

Dhakal, Arun; Cockfield, Geoff; Maraseni, Tek

doi:10.1007/s10457-012-9504-x

Cited by 41 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…Agroforestry research has convincingly demonstrated that agroforestry systems vary significantly in terms of factors like farm size, tree species diversity and density, cropping intensity, use of inputs, and agricultural labor force (Dhakal et al . ).…”

Section: From Agroecology To Producer Practicesmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Ordonez et al (2014) demonstrate that on-farm tree diversity can vary greatly between farms, owing to producer decisions, with influences stemming from farmer preferences, seed dispersal mechanisms, tree domestication and delivery via nurseries. Agroforestry research has convincingly demonstrated that agroforestry systems vary significantly in terms of factors like farm size, tree species diversity and density, cropping intensity, use of inputs, and agricultural labor force (Dhakal et al 2012).…”

Section: From Agroecology To Producer Practicesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Political Ecology of Commodity Agroforests and Tropical Biodiversity

Robbins

Chhatre

Karanth

2015

CONSERVATION LETTERS

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Though human-modified tropical landscapes are increasingly well studied, the processes that influence and govern biodiversity outcomes, especially in commodity production landscapes (e.g., coffee, rubber, arecanut), remain poorly understood. A review of the existing literature reveals that research in general focuses on individual components of a cascading set of relationships from political and economic forces, to producer decisions, to agroforestry structure, to habitat and diversity. The linkages between these components remains underdeveloped; efforts to unite the full "chain of explanation" remains elusive, making it difficult to form firm claims or testable hypotheses about how the ecology and biodiversity of such commodity systems are determined. To form more robust hypotheses about such relationships would require more integrative team efforts than heretofore have been common. Our review suggests that though some important relationships are well-understood, and some emerging policy emphases can be identified, policy-relevant science is still on the horizon in this frontier area.

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Section: From Agroecology To Producer Practicesmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: From Agroecology To Producer Practicesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Political Ecology of Commodity Agroforests and Tropical Biodiversity

Robbins

Chhatre

Karanth

2015

CONSERVATION LETTERS

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“…Hence, the majority of farmers are forced to cultivate food crops to derive subsistence (Basnett et al 2014;Maraseni et al 2006). The situation is even worse as more than 80% farmers are smallholders with average land holding size less than 0.5 hectares unable to sustain for a whole year with their agriculture produce (Dhakal et al 2012;Karki and Karki 2011). Even if farmers generate the marketable surplus, transportation, and its associated transaction costs are so high, it becomes impossible for them to participate in markets getting trapped inside a vicious cycle of poverty (ADB 2014;Basnett et al 2014;Maraseni et al 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effectiveness of Gravity Goods Ropeways in market participation of smallholder farmers in uplands

Maraseni

Jamir

et al. 2019

Transportation

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Isolated from the market due to harsh terrain, low farm productivity and poor road connectivity, the majority of farmers in the upland region of Nepal practice subsistence farming characterized by abject poverty. This study investigates whether Gravity Goods Ropeway (GGR) improves market participation and livelihood of smallholder farmers in uplands. 113 households' surveys, 6 focus group discussions, and 39 key informant interviews were conducted in 3 upland villages of Nepal. The before-after analysis was applied to examine the impact of GGR. With reduced average travel time to end market by 57% (p< 0.05), the farmers were able to transport high-quality products directly to small-scale (retailers and consumer) and large-scale (wholesaler) buyers eliminating the role of intermediaries. Additionally, GGR significantly reduced transportation cost by 43% (p< 0.05), post-harvest loss by 39% (p< 0.05), and time for information search enabling farmers to dictate and capture higher share in final selling price. The average quantity of high-value crops (vegetable) supplied to the output market (84%), farm income (84%) and food expenditure (31%) increased significantly (p<0.05) fulfilling the food needs of upland farmers for the entire year through the increased purchase of rice, pulses and processed food. Unlike the output market, the farmers' participation in purchasing fertilizer, seeds and other equipment in the input market remained low as they continued to rely on traditional methods because of low cost and local applicability. Therefore, GGR could be one of the suitable technology for upland of Nepal. However, further research is required focusing on the financial (cost/benefit) aspect, a possibility of improving the technology and operation mechanism which will genuinely justify that GGR is a suitable technology in mountain regions of Nepal and elsewhere with similar topographic conditions.

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“…The recent study of Cedamon et al [44] for example finds that household income, migration and caste have an influence on the adaptation of agroforestry practices, while Dhakal et al show in their study in the Terai plains, that institutional support and infrastructure development promote agroforestry while farm size, labour force and farming inputs are restraining factors [59]. Soft variables such as needs for happiness, worries or aspirations were not tested in other comparable studies to the best of our knowledge.…”

Section: Analysis Of Drivers For Growing Nuts As a Novel Livelihood Smentioning

confidence: 81%

What Prompts Agricultural Innovation in Rural Nepal: A Study Using the Example of Macadamia and Walnut Trees as Novel Cash Crops

Barrueto

Merz²,

Köhler

et al. 2018

Agriculture

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Agricultural innovations are important, especially as climatic conditions around the world have been subject to increasing change over the past decades. Through innovation, farmers can adapt to the changing conditions and secure their livelihoods. In Nepal, 75% of the population depends upon agriculture, which is impacted by climate change, migration, and feminisation. In this context, it is important to understand what drives a household to start agricultural innovation to increase its economic benefits and resilience in the face of multiple pressures. We sought a comprehensive understanding of these drivers by investigating the determinants of rural innovation, using macadamia and walnut trees as examples of novel, potentially commercialised cash crops. After conducting an in-depth household survey that divided farmers into those who cultivate nuts and those who do not, we analysed the socio-economic and cultural characteristics of each category using statistical tests and a multiple logistic regression. Our results show that the individual variables of ethnicity, wealth and "years of experience with fruit trees" correlate significantly with nut cultivation. The results of the multiple regression suggest that "years of experience with tree cultivation" and "having an income through fruit trees" most influence nut cultivation. Overall, we conclude that nut cultivation is an accepted and promising cash crop mostly grown by wealthier households, and that, for poor, landless, or female-headed households to benefit, alternative business models and new policies must be explored and developed. We further suggest that this is also true for other nut or other cash crop trees that have gained recent attention in Nepal such as almond, hazelnut, or pecan farming.

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Evolution of agroforestry based farming systems: a study of Dhanusha District, Nepal

Cited by 41 publications

References 32 publications

Political Ecology of Commodity Agroforests and Tropical Biodiversity

Political Ecology of Commodity Agroforests and Tropical Biodiversity

Effectiveness of Gravity Goods Ropeways in market participation of smallholder farmers in uplands

What Prompts Agricultural Innovation in Rural Nepal: A Study Using the Example of Macadamia and Walnut Trees as Novel Cash Crops

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