Farmer perspectives on sustainable crop-livestock integration in cereal based farm systems of Nepal

Abstract

Chapter 5 Trajectories of change and resource trade-offs in cereal-based farming system in the mid-hills of Nepal 117 Chapter 6 General Discussion Characteristic Lowlands Mid-hills Farm main orientation Both market oriented and selfsubsistence Most farms are self-subsistence, production on small fields Main cereals Paddy rice, wheat, maize, fodder crops Maize, millet, wheat, upland rice Cash crops Lentils, chickpeas, sugarcane, vegetables Potato, Mustard and soybean (oil), vegetables Livestock Buffalo, cattle, goats, poultry, fish Buffalo, cattle, goats, poultry Farm management practices Artificial fertilisers and pesticides, mechanization widely spread Terraces, farm yard manure, no or limited artificial fertilizers and pesticides, oxen as animal traction and labour exchanges Water availability Irrigation Rain-fed Labour Hired labour readily available Exchange of labour Market access Good. More entrepreneurial farms Good when close to roads, low when more remote * Kitchen garden and mixed vegetables are counted as one but can have a diverse composition. Counts the number of cultivations of crops, the same crop can be cultivated on multiple fields and in different seasons or intercropped, the instances are counted separately.