1.2 Contact details of resource persons and institutions involved in the assessment and documentation of the Technology

{'additional_translations': {}, 'value': 1002, 'label': 'Name of project which facilitated the documentation/ evaluation of the Technology (if relevant)', 'text': 'Sustainable Soil Management Programme, Nepal (SSMP)', 'template': 'raw'} {'additional_translations': {}, 'value': 682, 'label': 'Name of the institution(s) which facilitated the documentation/ evaluation of the Technology (if relevant)', 'text': 'HELVETAS (Swiss Intercooperation)', 'template': 'raw'} {'additional_translations': {}, 'value': 682, 'label': 'Name of the institution(s) which facilitated the documentation/ evaluation of the Technology (if relevant)', 'text': 'HELVETAS (Swiss Intercooperation)', 'template': 'raw'}

1.3 Conditions regarding the use of data documented through WOCAT

The compiler and key resource person(s) accept the conditions regarding the use of data documented through WOCAT:

Yes

1.5 Reference to Questionnaire(s) on SLM Approaches (documented using WOCAT)

2.1 Short description of the Technology

Definition of the Technology:

Integration of leguminous crops as intercrops on terrace risers or as relay crops

2.2 Detailed description of the Technology

Description:

Legumes are widely grown across the hills of Nepal, with the most common being soybean, lentils, black gram, cow pea, beans, horse gram, field peas, and rice bean. They are mostly intercropped or relay cropped with cereals such as maize, millet, and rice. They are also planted on the edges of terraces and rice paddy bunds. Depending on the species, they may be grown in rain-fed or irrigated fields during the winter or summer seasons.
The majority of the legumes grown by farmers are used for food or as a cash crop. The planting of fodder legumes has become more popular with the expansion of stall-feeding and the development of a dairy industry. The planting of legumes, with the main objective of improving soil fertility is a more recent development in Nepal’s hills.
Nitrogen is the main plant nutrient element and is usually applied through commercial fertiliser where available. Legumes fix atmospheric nitrogen through bacterial nodules on their roots, then nitrogen subsequently becomes available to the following crops. It is important, therefore, not to uproot the legume crop during harvesting - it should be harvested by cutting the above ground parts leaving the roots (and the nodules) in the soil. The crop residues can be fed to livestock, used as animal bedding, applied as green manure directly to fields, or incorporated in compost. In this way most of the nitrogen that was fixed by the legume crop is returned to the soil.
Details about the different legume species and their different characteristics and uses are described in detail in SSMP, PARDYP and SSD-NARC (2000).

2.3 Photos of the Technology

2.5 Country/ region/ locations where the Technology has been applied and which are covered by this assessment

3.1 Main purpose(s) of the Technology

• improve soil fertility

3.2 Current land use type(s) where the Technology is applied

Comments:

Major land use problems (compiler’s opinion): Intensifying cultivation practices with either 1) inadequate application of fertilisers leading to a decline in soil fertility and the mining of soil nutrients or 2) the application of too much fertiliser causing environmental problems through excessive leaching, losses of fertiliser in surface runoff, and consequent eutrophication or nitrification of streams, ponds, or groundwater.

3.5 SLM group to which the Technology belongs

• integrated soil fertility management
• improved plant varieties/ animal breeds

3.6 SLM measures comprising the Technology

3.7 Main types of land degradation addressed by the Technology

3.8 Prevention, reduction, or restoration of land degradation

Specify the goal of the Technology with regard to land degradation:

• reduce land degradation

4.1 Technical drawing of the Technology

4.2 General information regarding the calculation of inputs and costs

Specify how costs and inputs were calculated:

• per Technology unit

Specify currency used for cost calculations:

• USD

4.4 Costs and inputs needed for establishment

	Specify input	Unit	Quantity	Costs per Unit	Total costs per input	% of costs borne by land users
Labour	Labour	Persons/day	2.5	2.0	5.0
Plant material	Seeds	unit	1.0	1.5	1.5
Total costs for establishment of the Technology					6.5
Total costs for establishment of the Technology in USD					6.5

4.5 Maintenance/ recurrent activities

	Activity	Timing/ frequency
1.	Depending on the type of farm niche - broadcast, line sow, or spot

4.6 Costs and inputs needed for maintenance/ recurrent activities (per year)

Comments:

Cost as in January 2007

5.1 Climate

5.2 Topography

Comments and further specifications on topography:

Slopes on average:Also moderate (6-10%), rolling (11-15%) and hilly (16-30%)

Landforms: Also footslopes

Altitudinal zone: Also 1000-1500 m a.s.l., 1500-2000 m a.s.l. and 2000-2500 m a.s.l.

5.6 Characteristics of land users applying the Technology

Indicate other relevant characteristics of the land users:

Off-farm income specification: In most farm households, off-farm income plays at least a minor and increasingly a major role. Occasional opportunities for off-farm income present themselves in the form of daily labour wages. Some households’ members receive regular salaries whilst an increasing number of Nepalis are working in India, the Middle East, Malaysia and elsewhere and sending remittance incomes home.

5.7 Average area of land used by land users applying the Technology

5.8 Land ownership, land use rights, and water use rights

Land ownership:

• individual, not titled
• individual, titled

Land use rights:

• leased
• individual

Comments:

sharecropping between owner and tenant

6.1 On-site impacts the Technology has shown

Socio-economic impacts

Income and costs

Other socio-economic impacts

Ecological impacts

Soil

Biodiversity: vegetation, animals

Other ecological impacts

6.2 Off-site impacts the Technology has shown

6.4 Cost-benefit analysis

How do the benefits compare with the establishment costs (from land users’ perspective)?

How do the benefits compare with the maintenance/ recurrent costs (from land users' perspective)?

Comments:

On average a benefi t of US$ 40 to 50 per ropani can be expected from the production of legume species

6.5 Adoption of the Technology

Comments:

Comments on spontaneous adoption: About 80% of participating farmers used/had adopted the technolog. It has also been adopted by farmers who have not directly participated in SSMP activities.

6.7 Strengths/ advantages/ opportunities of the Technology

Strengths/ advantages/ opportunities in the compiler’s or other key resource person’s view
Cost effective in terms of inputs and management practices in comparison with other commodities
Needs less agronomic practices and care (i.e. can be cultivated in zero or reduced tillage)
Has multiple uses: food crop, feed crop, fodder, soil building
Can be integrated in varying niches on farms and therefore does not need additional land
Rich indigenous knowledge exists

6.8 Weaknesses/ disadvantages/ risks of the Technology and ways of overcoming them

Weaknesses/ disadvantages/ risks in the compiler’s or other key resource person’s view	How can they be overcome?
Highly vulnerable to diseases and pests	Skip planting time (i.e. preponing planting of crops to get around life cycle of pests) , use location specifi c species, resistant varieties
Very susceptible to waterlogging	Only plant in well-drained soils
In high fertility conditions, nitrogen fixing rhizobium does not work leading to less nitrogen fixation	For very specifi c and new species, the soil needs to be inoculated with the correct strain of bacteria
Legumes generally do not respond to nitrogen fertiliser	Do not apply nitrogen fertiliser to legumes

7.1 Methods/ sources of information

7.2 References to available publications

Title, author, year, ISBN:

SSMP (2005) Legume Integration Manual (in Nepali). Kathmandu: Sustainable Soil Management Programme

Available from where? Costs?

SSMP

Title, author, year, ISBN:

SSMP; PARDYP; SSD-NARC (2000) LegumeIntegration into Hill Farming Systems, Decision Support Guide Kathmandu: Sustainable Soil Management Programme, People and Resource Dynamics Project and Soil Science Division-Nepal Agricultural Research Council

Available from where? Costs?

SSMP