Search Research Database
Project Record

Objectives:

Methods to optimise cropping systems by agronomic means developed and tested.

Background:

There are very large areas of rice fallows (land left fallow after harvest of rainfed rice) in S. Asia. The location and extent of, and gross environmental conditions in, these areas have been quantified, using publicly available databases and a GIS approach. These lands constitute an enormous under-utilised resource for poor farmers who are locked into a near subsistence farming situation presenting few opportunities for enterprise and income diversification. They have limited opportunities to grow crops that would complement the staple rice diet and thus improve family nutrition status. Leaving land fallow after rice, for instance due to lack of continued irrigation facilities, usually results in wastage of available soil water and residual nutrients that could be used to support a following crop, one that could potentially be remunerative to the farmers. Growing a crop, in particular a legume, after rice would also have beneficial effects on soil fertility and soil health (breaking pest and disease cycles) that should enhance the long term sustainability of rice productivity.

Intended Outputs:

Technical and social solutions to overcome constraints to rainfed rabi cropping in rice fallows tested, demonstrated and promoted.

Income of participating farmers sustainably increased following adoption of rainfed rabi cropping.

Awareness of the opportunities for successful rainfed rabi cropping increased.

Progress and Impact:

Nepal
FORWARD arranged and/or implemented 841 participatory trials in rice fallow areas of the Nepalese districts of Jhapa, Morang, Saptari, Siraha and Kapilbastu. These included investigations of new varieties of chickpea, field pea, lentil, vegetable soybean, mungbean, buckwheat, niger and maize. Various agronomic interventions, such as seed priming, intercropping, relay cropping, minimum tillage were also evaluated in farmers' trials. No data is available yet.

India
In representative rice fallow areas in Chattisgarh, Orissa, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh states, CRS and GVT East facilitated farmers to plant 313 trials of new chickpea varieties, seed priming and tillage methods. In addition, the effect of block planting (to allow easier protection from grazing etc.) was tested by a further 347 farmers, including 92 in Orissa facilitated by the Department of Agriculture. Five farmers in Madhya Pradesh are testing alternative rabi crops. Farmer-feedback for all trials is being collected and harvesting will take place in March.

Nepal:
*890 farmers and 56 groups are now involved in RRC activities.
*79 leader farmers were trained and 50 of these visited other RRC sites and NARC commodity programmes. More than 300 on-farm trials were conducted and soils were sampled and analysed from 33 representative sites.
*Results from trials were collected and are being collated. Seed of farmer-preferred cultivars were multiplied on 40 ha of land in the project area. Soil analysis confirmed low levels of organic matter, N, P, Mo, B and Zn.
*79 leader farmers were trained in ICM, including storage technology for grain legumes.
*Seven extension bulletins and one poster were produced and distributed.

India:
*Five hundred farmers were involved with trials, bulk planting and seed production. A pot trial was conducted to assess the response of chickpea to Mo in an acid soil from the project area and to compare the effect of soil-applied Mo with priming-applied Mo. Almost 1000 soil samples were analysed.
*Most yields were low in this very dry season but farmers were still enthusiastic about growing chickpea. Poor soil fertility was highlighted as a key issue in these areas. A positive response to added Mo was confirmed and provision during seed priming was validated. Soil analysis confirmed low levels of N, P, B, S, Mo and Zn and rhizobia.
*Implementing partners trained all participants using a group approach.
*As chickpea is a new crop in these areas, trials focused on testing the individual components of production technology.

Nepal:
*Livelihoods information was collected in 232 sample households.

India:
*Rabi cropping is at an earlier stage in India. Some uptake/impact studies are underway.

Nepal:
*Three District-level workshops and one National-level workshop were organised.
*24 staff were trained in IPM techniques. Non-project visitors were received at RRC sites. Five Chief Agricultural Development Officers (CADOs), one NGLRP scientist and 5 FORWARD staff visited RRC sites managed by GVT, Eastern India. Eight DADO staff were trained in participatory research and extension approaches.

India:
*Review/planning meeting held in Bhubaneswar, 27-29 June, 2003.
3.3 Seven senior CRS staff trained in various aspects of RRC chickpea production, including IPM.

Nepal
*Total number of participants directly reached by the project has increased from 890 to 1013 and groups increased from 52 to 57.
*27 leader farmers were provided training on Agro-forest nursery management.
*25 local resource persons were provided a four-day training on seed production technique.
*Six field level staff were trained on trail layout, data recording and disease and insect scoring.
*411 sets of on-farm trials on rainfed crops including chickpea, lentil, mungbean, buckwheat and rice conducted.
*Soils of 26 representative fields in the project sites a

General Notes:

See also the TECA Records:

Participatory varietal selection: Short duration legume crops for rainfed rabi in India and Nepal

On-farm seed priming as a vehicle for addressing nutrient deficiencies: compatibility with inoculation of legume (chickpea, mungbean) seeds with Rhizobium culture (for N-fixation)

Community-based social and technical approaches to testing and promoting cropping after rice in rice fallow areas of Nepal and eastern India

Publications:

Khanal, N.N., Harris, D. Sherpa, L.T., Giri, R.K., Thapa, S. & Joshi, KD. (2004). Promotion of mungbean in cereal fallows in the low hills and terai agroecosystem of Nepal. Paper presented in the Final Workshop and Planning Meeting for DFID-Mungbean Project, 27-31 May 2004, Punjab Agriculture University, India.



Khanal, N.N., Harris, D., Sherpa, L.T., Thapa, S., Giri, R.K. & Joshi, K.D. (2004). Potentiality of integrating mungbean in cereal fallows in the low hills and terai of Nepal. Paper presented in the 24th Summer Crops Workshop, 28-30 June 2004. NARC, Nepal.



Khanal, N.N., Joshi, K.D., Harris, D. & Chand, S.P. (2004). Effect of micro-nutrient loading, soil application and foliar sprays of organic extracts on grain legumes and vegetable crops in marginal conditions in Nepal. Paper presented in an International Workshop on Agricultural Strategies to Reduce Micronutrient Problems in Mountains and Other Marginal Areas in South and South East Asia. 8-10 September, 2004; Kathmandu, Nepal.



Khanal, N.N., Joshi, K.D. & Harris, D. (2004). Working with systems perspective: An innovative approach to improve overall systems productivity in Nepal. Paper presented in a Sharing Workshop on Participatory Research Methodology for Improving the Access of Farmers to New Crop Germplasm and Enhancing Food Security in High Barind Tract of Bangladesh 9-10 October, 2004; Rajshahi, Bangladesh.



Khanal, N.N., Joshi, K.D., Harris, D. & Kumar Rao, J.V.D.K. (2004). Rabi cropping and promoting winter legumes in rice fallows in Nepal. Paper presented in the Workshop on Policy and strategy for poor farmers in Nepal and South Asia through Improved Crop Management of High Yielding Chickpea in Rice Fallows, from 17-18 November 2004 at Hotel Annapurna, Kathmandu, Nepal.



Khanal, N.P. & Khanal, N.N. (2004). Bridging the gap: Role, responsibilities and approach to scaling up of IPM of chickpea in Nepal -An NGO perspective. Paper presented in the Workshop on Policy and strategy for poor farmers in Nepal and South Asia through Improved Crop Management of High Yielding Chickpea in Rice Fallows, from 17-18 November 2004 at Hotel Annapurna, Kathmandu, Nepal.



Khanal, N.P., Khanal, N.N., Joshi, K.D., Sherpa, L.T., Thapa, S. & Giri, R.K. (2004). Participatory varietal selection in rice: FORWARD's experience in rainfed bunded and intermediate deep-water regimes in the Terai of Nepal. Paper presented in the 24th Summer Crops Workshop, 28-30 June 2004. NARC, Nepal



Kumar Rao, J.V.D.K., Harris, D., Johansen, C. & Musa, A.M. (2004). Low-cost provision of molybdenum (Mo) to chickpeas grown in acid soils. Abstracts: in CD of IFA International Symposium on Micronutrients, 23-25 Feb 2004, New Delhi, India (International Fertilizer Industry Association - publications@fertilizer.org - www.fertilizer.org).



Johansen, C., Musa, A.M., Kumar Rao, J.V.D.K., Harris, D., Ali, M Y. & Lauren, J.G. (2004). Molybdenum response of chickpea in the High Barind Tract of Bangladesh and in Eastern India. Pages 52-54, in Book of Abstracts - ,Micronutrients in South and South East Asia, An International Workshop on ,Agricultural Strategies to Reduce Micronutrient Problems in Mountains and Other Marginal Areas in South and South East Asia, held at Kathmandu, Nepal, during 8-10 September 2004 (Eds. Tuladhar, J.K., Karki, K.B., Anderson, P., & Maskey, S.L.)



Harris, D., and Kumar Rao, J.V.D.K. (2004). Rainfed rabi cropping in rice fallows - Chickpea in Eastern India. A Development brief prepared by the Centre for Arid Zone Studies, University of Wales, UK; Catholic Relief Services, India; Gramin Vikas Trust, India; ICRISAT, India. 7 pages.



Padma Parvathi, K. 2004. Enumeration of native chickpea rhizobial populations with reference to growing chickpea in rice-fallows. Dissertation work submitted, in partial fulfillment for the award of degree of M.Sc (Environmental Biotechnology), to the Centre for Environment, Institute of Science & Technology, Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad, A.P., India. 77 pp.

Associated References:

R7540, R5741, R8098