Food grain technology; agricultural research in Nepal
In 1957, the U.S. Operations Mission initiated support for a broad-ranging agricultural development effort in Nepal. This project continued without pause for seventeen years, largely in pursuit of the objective of increasing Nepal's foodgrain production capacity by enabling and encouraging Nepali farmers to apply the techniques of scientific agriculture. While the U.S. financial and technical assistance was continuous, the emphasis, the pace, and the amount of Nepali envolvement were altered considerably during the course of project implementation. The project successfully contributed to the establishment of agricultural research and extension systems by training almost 600 Nepalis to the B.S., M.S., and Ph. D. levels and by constructing facilities for research at five stations in the Tarai - at Nepalganj, Bhairawa, Parwanipur, Janakpur, and Rampur. With the assistance of the extension service, improved wheat, rice, and maize varieties tested on the research stations were spread to farmers across the Tarai. Other parts of the technology packages - which included recommendations for fertilizer, time of planting, spacing, and irrigation - were not so widely adopted. In trying to assess more precisely the differences that could be attributed to the implementation of the Food Grain Technology project, we first examined statistical fact sheets and research reports. We then talked with agricultural leaders (many of whom had apparently taken advantage of training opportunities offered under the project) and with agricultural producers. While looking at reports of experimental trials and at growing fields of wheat and mustard, we discussed not only what had happened, but what might not have occurred had the project never been implemented
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Texto biblioteca |
| Language: | eng |
| Published: |
Washington, D.C. (EUA)
1982
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| Summary: | In 1957, the U.S. Operations Mission initiated support for a broad-ranging agricultural development effort in Nepal. This project continued without pause for seventeen years, largely in pursuit of the objective of increasing Nepal's foodgrain production capacity by enabling and encouraging Nepali farmers to apply the techniques of scientific agriculture. While the U.S. financial and technical assistance was continuous, the emphasis, the pace, and the amount of Nepali envolvement were altered considerably during the course of project implementation. The project successfully contributed to the establishment of agricultural research and extension systems by training almost 600 Nepalis to the B.S., M.S., and Ph. D. levels and by constructing facilities for research at five stations in the Tarai - at Nepalganj, Bhairawa, Parwanipur, Janakpur, and Rampur. With the assistance of the extension service, improved wheat, rice, and maize varieties tested on the research stations were spread to farmers across the Tarai. Other parts of the technology packages - which included recommendations for fertilizer, time of planting, spacing, and irrigation - were not so widely adopted. In trying to assess more precisely the differences that could be attributed to the implementation of the Food Grain Technology project, we first examined statistical fact sheets and research reports. We then talked with agricultural leaders (many of whom had apparently taken advantage of training opportunities offered under the project) and with agricultural producers. While looking at reports of experimental trials and at growing fields of wheat and mustard, we discussed not only what had happened, but what might not have occurred had the project never been implemented |
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