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Project Record

Objectives:

To reduce poverty by increasing chickpea production through adoption of effective and appropriate IPM technologies by resource poor hillside farmers.

Background:

In Nepal rural poverty is pervasive, and agriculture plays a dominant role in the economy. While population growth continues, yields of staple crops such as rice, wheat and legumes remain stagnant, causing increasing concern for food security. Although legumes are an essential component of the Nepalese diet, in recent years there has been a decline in production of chickpea. WHO recommend a daily intake of protein of 36g person (-1), but the actual intake in Nepal is 9g person (-1) day (-1), and most of this comes from grain legumes rather than meat. Grain legumes are an essential secondary crop for resource-poor hillside farmers; these legumes are traditionally planted after the harvest of cereals (rice and maize) in Nepal. Chickpea planted immediately after the rice harvest in November can utilise the residual moisture in rice and maize fields, and produce a successful second crop. These legumes represent an important protein contribution in the diet in Nepal, and also provide domestic animal food from crop residue. However, in recent years a combination of fungal disease (BGM) and pod borer (Helicoverpa armigera) damage has caused high losses (up to 100%) in these cropping systems. As a result, the area under chickpea production has now dropped from more than 54,000 ha in 1982 to 25,000 ha in 1994, and to less than 17,000 ha in 1998. This represents a drop in cultivated area from more than 20% to less than 6% of the grain legume production in Nepal. Despite the reduction in domestic production, chickpea is still very popular in Nepal, owing to its taste and the wide variety of foods for which it is used. Consequently, there is an increasing dependence upon imported chickpea from India, a costly alternative to domestic production. The main grain legume alternative in Nepal, the lentil, has few disease or pest problems, and while it has increasingly replaced chickpea as the secondary crop, it is both less productive and less valuable. This project seeks, by developing new alternative, biorational technologies, to reduce dependence on environmentally damaging chemical fungicides and insecticides, and replace them with environmentally acceptable and sustainable alternatives.

Intended Outputs:

A workshop/meeting for detailed planning of project activities and project outputs with NARC/NGO staff and stakeholders.

A socio-economic analysis will be undertaken, incorporating a survey of the constraints to chickpea production, and the impact of possible chickpea production improvements on family income, nutrition, and poverty in Nepal

An improved IPM package, appropriate for poor farmers in the mid-hills and hillside regions of Nepal, developed and validated.

New IPM promotion tools produced and disseminated to hillside farmers in Nepal.

New IPM technologies for chickpea production promoted to at least 500 (eventual target 2000) mid-hills and hillsides farmers in principal chickpea growing districts of Nepal.

Socio-economic survey to determine the impact of improved chickpea IPM on rural livelihoods, poverty alleviation, and nutrition in target districts.

Dissemination through farmer oriented literature, publications evaluating new IPM systems in peer-reviewed international journals and in appropriate local media (radio, newspapers, etc).

Progress and Impact:

This project has successfully validated the application and use by farmers of an integrated crop management strategy to increase productivity and reliability of chickpea production by poor farmers in Nepal. The principal components were 1) the adoption of an improved cultivar Avarodhi resistant to Fusarium wilt, 2) use of seed priming 3) BGM control with Bavistin once per week when weather very misty 4) pod borer control with only 2 sprays of Thiodan 5) fungicidal treatment of seed with Thirum & Bavistin 6) Rhizobium inoculum 7) fertilizer applied - diammonium phosphate 8) maintenance of an open canopy by avoiding irrigation and additional fertilizer. Overall, farmers who used this IPM practice produced at least twice as much crop. The cost of production reduced from Rs17/Kg to Rs9/Kg.

This process included the evaluation and validation of Helicoverpa armigera nucleopolyhedrovirus (HearNPV) in the laboratory on farms and on research stations. Although laboratory studies indicated chickpea reduced efficacy through an interaction between the virus and the leaf surface of chickpea, simple formulation ingredients based on milk powder improved the efficacy of HearNPV on chickpea when sprayed as a mixture on to the leaves by up to 3 times. HearNPV was at least as effective as the insecticide Thiodan at controlling pod borer and in many cases were more effective. The efficacy was affected by the variety of chickpea on which the NPV was used. Avarodhi the preferred variety for all other agronomic characters was also the most suitable variety for optimum effects of the virus at controlling the pod borer.

The information, support and technologies validated as described above were provided directly to at least 3,500 farmers to grow chickpea in Nepal using an integrated and economically and environmentally acceptable approach to the management of biotic and abiotic constraints. Overall, the chickpea yields of participating farmers' more than doubled to 2100Kg ha-1 when employing ICM with improved varieties. The net cost of production decreased from Rs 17.5 kg-1 to NRs 9.3 kg-1. With a market price of approximately NRs 30 kg-1 this more than doubles profits from this crop. Overall farmers increased their wealth by US$216 per annum by growing chickpea using the technologies promoted by this project. Thus, by reaching 3,500 farmers the project increased the overall wealth of project farmers by up to US$ 750,000. The impact on livelihoods was substantial with the majority of farmers describing improvements in all aspects of domestic life although the extent of these impacts was dependent on size of holding. One dramatic change was in the number of farmers moving from mud houses to brick houses (5-10%) and many farmers reported paying off debts (22%) with dramatic increases in expenditure on education for children, clothes and healthcare. The project activities were promoted widely in publications and newspapers.

The outputs of the project have all been achieved and some exceeded.
Output 1. Presentation of project activities, socio-economic analysis and projected outputs in project workshop to NARC/NGO staff and farmers. This output was achieved and highlighted the key components of the project to stakeholders and provided a foundation for achieving the project goals.
Output 2. A survey of the constraints to chickpea production and the impact of chickpea production on livelihoods assessed. Through this output we were able to determine the factors on which we needed to focus the project and were able to establish baseline data on which the impact of chickpea production would be assessed.
Output 3. An improved IPM package appropriate for poor farmers in the mid-hills and hillside regions of Nepal developed and validated. Based on the findings in output 2 an ICM strategy was developed and validated providing the project with the practical tool to achieve the project goal.
Output 4. New IPM promotion too

Project Conclusions:

This project has successfully validated, through on-farm participatory trials, the application and use by farmers of an integrated crop management strategy to increase productivity and reliability of Rabi (dry season) chickpea production on small-holder farms in Nepal. Since October 2000 this project has provided the information, support and technologies validated through on farm trials described above to more 3500 farmers to grow chickpea in Nepal using an integrated and economically and environmentally acceptable approach to the management of biotic and abiotic constraints. Overall farmers increased their wealth by more than US$200 per annum by growing chickpea using the technologies promoted by this project. Thus, by reaching 3500 farmers the project increased the overall wealth of project farmers by approximately US$ 730,000. The impact on livelihoods was substantial with the majority of farmers describing improvements in all aspects of domestic life although the extent of these impacts was dependent on size of holding. One dramatic change was in the number of farmers moving from mud houses to brick houses or even building them from scratch (5-10%). Up to 22% of farmers reported paying off debts with dramatic increases in expenditure on education for children, clothes and healthcare. Overall domestic expenditure increased by about 45% over the course of the project reflecting farmers' increase in wealth.

General Notes:

See also the TECA Record Sustainable integrated crop management of chickpeas for poor farmers in Nepal

Publications:

PANDE, S. and NARAYANA RAO, J. (2001) Integrated Pest (Diseases) management (IPM) of chickpea in Mid Hills and Hillside Cropping Systems of Nepal 2000-2001. International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics; and Natural Resources International Chatham, UK. 42 pp. [book]



BOURAI, V. A., PANDE, S., JOSHI, P. K. and NEUPANE, R. K. (2003) Chickpea production constraints and promotion of integrated pest management in Nepal. On-farm IPM of Chickpea in Nepal-1. Information bulletin no. 64. Patancheru 502324, Andhra Pradesh, India. International Crops Research Institute for the Semi Arid Tropics. ISBN 92-9066-462-2. Order code IBE064. pp. (A)



BOURAI V A, PANDE S, STEVENSON P AND NEUPANE R K. (IN PRESS) Empowerment through enrichment. On-farm IPM of Chickpea in Nepal-1. Information bulletin no. 65. Patancheru 502324, Andhra Pradesh, India. International Crops Research Institute for the Semi Arid Tropics. IBE065 (A)



BOURAI, V. A., PANDE, S. and NEUPANE, R. K. (IN PRESS). Wealth generation through chickpea revolution. IPM of Chickpea in Nepal-3. Information bulletin no.66. Patancheru 502324, Andhra Pradesh, India. International Crops Research Institute for the Semi Arid Tropics. IBE065 (A)



D'CUNHA, R.F.D., GRZYWACZ, D. and STEVENSON, P.C. (2003) Variation in the efficacy of Helicoverpa armigera nucloepolyhedrovirus on cotton, tomato and chickpea. 36th Annual Meeting of the Society for Invertebrate Pathology, 26-30 July 2003, Burlington, Vermont, USA. [poster] (B)



Joshi PK., Socioeconomic issues and institutional policy: constraints for increasing chickpea production in Nepal. Pages 94-98 in On-farm IPM of chickpea in Nepal: proceedings of the International Workshop on Planning and Implementation of On-farm IPM of Chickpea in Nepal, 6-7 September 2000, Kathmandu, Nepal. Pande, S., Johansen, C., Stevenson, P.C., and Grzywacz, D. (eds.) Patancheru 502 324, Andhra Pradesh, India: International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics; and Chatham, Maritime, Kent ME4 4TB, UK: Natural Resources Institute. 133 pp.ISBN 92-9066-438-X.



Stevenson, P.C. (2001) Project Outputs, Dissemination, Adoption and promotion strategies. Pages 85-93 in On-farm IPM of chickpea in Nepal: proceedings of the International Workshop on Planning and Implementation of On-farm IPM of Chickpea in Nepal, 6-7 September 2000, Kathmandu, Nepal. Pande, S., Johansen, C., Stevenson, P.C., and Grzywacz, D. (eds.) Patancheru 502 324, Andhra Pradesh, India: International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics; and Chatham, Maritime, Kent ME4 4TB, UK: Natural Resources Institute. 133 pp.ISBN 92-9066-438-X