Sustainably supporting farmers in the Terai Region of Nepal

In Phase 1 of SDIP (2014 – 2018), ACIAR’s main contribution to the portfolio was through the Sustainable and Resilient Farming Systems Intensification (SRFSI) project. This project focused on understanding the situation for local farmers and agribusinesses in the EGP and improving the productivity, livelihoods and resilience of smallholder farmers.

The farming systems improvements tested in SRFSI are based on Conservation Agriculture based Sustainable Intensification (CASI), which is a broader form of Conservation Agriculture that incorporates agronomic, socio economic and institutional aspects of food production, including more sustainable agroecosystem management, increased input use efficiency and increased biological and economic productivity.

SRFSI was led by CIMMYT and supported by more than 20 partners, including Nepal’s National Agriculture Research Centre (NARC). In Nepal the project worked in Sunsari and Dhanusha districts in the Terai region.

Mina Devi Yadav (red sari) and others from a women’s farming group work together to pick mung beans. The group is part of an ACIAR conservation agriculture project spanning the Eastern Gangetic Plains of Nepal, India and Bangladesh. The project aims to develop more intensive, sustainable timely planting of the main cereal crops – rice, maize and wheat – increasing yield and allowing for a third crop such as mung beans. In recent years huge numbers of young men have migrated to the Arab Gulf countries in search of higher paid work and this has led to what is called the ‘feminisation of agriculture’. Because of increasing rates of male migration from poor farming households, usually to work in the cities, women have emerged as the key producers, performing a wide range of tasks related to planning, cropping, managing, processing and marketing. This project is contributing to developing the potential of one of Asia’s great future food bowls the Eastern Gangetic Plains.

Renuka Shrestha talks with Mina Devi Yadav (red sari) and others from a women’s farming group. Renuka is the coordinator in Nepal for this ACIAR conservation agriculture project and senior staff member at Nepal’s National Agriculture Research Centre (NARC). Renuka is also a John Alwright Fellow who completed her PHD in Australia through the support of ACIAR. This project is contributing to developing the potential of one of Asia’s great future food bowls the Eastern Gangetic Plains.

Jilebiya Devi Pandit picks ripe mung beans in Sohani village, Terai region of Nepal. Jilebiya is part of a farming group part of an ACIAR conservation agriculture project. The project aims to develop more intensive, sustainable timely planting of the main cereal crops – rice, maize and wheat – increasing yield and allowing for a third crop such as mung beans. In recent years huge numbers of young men have migrated to the Arab Gulf countries in search of higher paid work and this has led to what is called the ‘feminisation of agriculture’. Because of increasing rates of male migration from poor farming households, usually to work in the cities, women have emerged as the key producers, performing a wide range of tasks related to planning, cropping, managing, processing and marketing. This project is contributing to developing the potential of one of Asia’s great furture food bowls the Eastern Gangetic Plains.

“Before this ACIAR project in Eastern Gangetic Plain, the farmers, particularly the marginal farmers do have a main season rice crop and the winter crop was very uncertain because lack of irrigation and labor shortage. With the implementation of this ACIAR projects, with the use of machinery, the farmers could grow more than two crops in a year. Also this technology requires less water.”
— Dr Renuka Shrestha

Introducing a long-term conservation agriculture based sustainable intensification approach meant demonstrating small-scale mechanization, crop diversification and better water management techniques; improving skills for farmers and local businesses through training and demonstration events; and helping local networks come together to address pressing problems within their villages.

Altogether over 50,000 people have participated in project events including field days and demonstrations, training and group discussions, of which almost half were women (between 2014 – 2017). Relative to ‘business as usual’ practices, CASI approaches have been proven to improve the productivity and profitability of rice, maize, wheat and lentil farming systems while at the same time reducing the amount of water, fuel and labour needed to produce a crop.

Intercropping maize with leafy vegetables offers even greater returns, especially for women. Women also report positive impacts on household food security, health and children’s access to education.

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In Bhaluwa village, Terai region of Nepal members of the Ratu Rani Women’s Agriculture Collective walk out to a field where their group leader demonstrates how they have learnt to use a rice-transplanting machine.

Members of the Ratu Rani Women’s Agriculture Collective in Bhaluwa village watch on as the group’s leader demonstrates how they have learnt to use a rice-transplanting machine. The group has 65 women farmers who are all from the Indigenous (Adavasi) Choudary group who traditionally are very poor and socially marginalized. The group is just one of many that are part of the ACIAR conservation agriculture project spanning the Eastern Gangetic Plains of Nepal, India and Bangladesh. The project aims to develop more intensive, sustainable timely planting of the main cereal crops – rice, maize and wheat – increasing yield and allowing for a third crop such as mung beans. Because of increasing rates of male migration from poor farming households, usually to work in the cities, women have emerged as the key producers, performing a wide range of tasks related to planning, cropping, managing, processing and marketing. This project is contributing to developing the potential of one of Asia’s great future food bowls the Eastern Gangetic Plains.

Members of the Ratu Rani Women’s Agriculture Collective in Bhaluwa village sit down and demonstrate a group meeting. The group has 65 women farmers who are all from the Indigenous (Adavasi) Choudary group who traditionally are very poor and socially marginalized. The group is just one of many that are part of the ACIAR conservation agriculture project spanning the Eastern Gangetic Plains of Nepal, India and Bangladesh. The project aims to develop more intensive, sustainable timely planting of the main cereal crops – rice, maize and wheat – increasing yield and allowing for a third crop such as mung beans. In recent years huge numbers of young men have migrated to the Arab Gulf countries in search of higher paid work and this has led to what is called the ‘feminisation of agriculture’. Because of increasing rates of male migration from poor farming households, usually to work in the cities, women have emerged as the key producers, performing a wide range of tasks related to planning, cropping, managing, processing and marketing. This project is contributing to developing the potential of one of Asia’s great future food bowls the Eastern Gangetic Plains.agriculture project.

Members of the Ratu Rani Women’s Agriculture Collective in Bhaluwa village walk out to a field where their group leader demonstrates how they have learnt to use a rice-transplanting machine. The group has 65 women farmers who are all from the Indigenous (Adavasi) Choudary group who traditionally are very poor and socially marginalized. The group is just one of many that are part of the ACIAR conservation agriculture project spanning the Eastern Gangetic Plains of Nepal, India and Bangladesh. The project aims to develop more intensive, sustainable timely planting of the main cereal crops – rice, maize and wheat – increasing yield and allowing for a third crop such as mung beans. Because of increasing rates of male migration from poor farming households, usually to work in the cities, women have emerged as the key producers, performing a wide range of tasks related to planning, cropping, managing, processing and marketing. This project is contributing to developing the potential of one of Asia’s great future food bowls the Eastern Gangetic Plains.

“I love my tractor.”
— Ajeet Karma

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SFSRI has supported Ajeet and his group with the introduction of a Zero Till (ZT) direct seeding machine that can plant seed and fertiliser at the same time. The introduction of the small scale machinery, particularly Zero till (ZT) wheat and maize in India and Nepal has helped farmers like Ajeet cope with a shortage of labour. He can now single-handedly undertake many farming tasks with just a small machine as opposed to a large group of labourers he previously relied on, and which is increasingly difficult to find with the large migration of men out of rural areas. Ajeet now relies solely the tractor for a large part of his farming work.

Each year the rates of men migrating from rural farming communities in the Terai to Gulf nations or the region’s capital cities in search of work continues to steadily rise. This trend has meant women are emerging as the head of the household and sole operators of the farm which sees them performing a wide range of tasks related to planning, cropping, managing, processing and marketing. SDIP understands the challenges these women face in accessing information, finance and skills, and the potential for them to play a greater role as farmers and income earners for their households.

“I just get the ideas of how to farm. How it can be a good source of income, and the employment. And as I have told you that agriculture land, the human resource and the technology, this can be managed and this is the only way that Nepal can sort of transform it in a good living country.”
— Ajeet Karma

All photos and videos by Conor Ashleigh/ACIAR © 2018.
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