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

Name of project which facilitated the documentation/ evaluation of the Technology (if relevant)

Name of the institution(s) which facilitated the documentation/ evaluation of the Technology (if relevant)

Name of the institution(s) which facilitated the documentation/ evaluation of the Technology (if relevant)

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)

Farmer field schools on integrated plant nutrient systems [Nepal]

Participatory and collaborative learning through the farmer field school approach

• Compiler: Richard Allen
• 01/19/2009 midnight

Farmer-led experimentation [Nepal]

Participatory technology testing and adaptation through farmer-led experiments

• Compiler: Richard Allen
• 02/19/2009 midnight

Farmer-to-farmer diffusion [Nepal]

Wider diffusion of sustainable soil management technologies through a demand responsive farmer-to-farmer diffusion approach

• Compiler: Richard Allen
• 01/19/2009 midnight

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

Country:

Nepal

Further specification of location:

Midhills districts of Nepal

Specify the spread of the Technology:

• evenly spread over an area

Map

×

3.1 Main purpose(s) of the Technology

• improve soil fertility

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

Cropland

• Annual cropping

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

agronomic measures

• A2: Organic matter/ soil fertility

3.7 Main types of land degradation addressed by the Technology

chemical soil deterioration

• Cn: fertility decline and reduced organic matter content (not caused by erosion)

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

Technical specifications (related to technical drawing):

A number of species are presented
in the legume integration decision
support guide (SSMP, PARDYP, SSDNARC 2000). Here only a selection of useful legume species are presented (from top left corner to lower right corner):
- red clover (Trifolium pratense)
- hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth)
- Chinese milk vetch (Astragalus sinicus)
- rice bean (Vigna umbellata)
- velvet bean (Mucuna pruriens)
- tephrosia (Tephrosia spp.

Technical knowledge required for field staff / advisors: low

Technical knowledge required for land users: low

Main technical functions: increase in soil fertility (nitrogen in particular), increase in soil productivity & decrease in soil erosionon terrace bunds, nutritius and high value crops

Secondary technical functions: fodder and green manure availability & income

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

4.5 Maintenance/ recurrent activities

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

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

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