Abstract
This is a follow-up study of two previous papers in this series in which we discussed the effectiveness of participatory varietal selection (PVS) and community-based seed production (CBSP). In this paper we present from survey results the impact of new, improved varieties on food security of farmers who had previously participated in PVS or CBSP, or both. A total of 230 households from eight locations, representing different social classes (A, B, C), castes (Dalit, Janajati, BCTN; referring to Bahun, Chhetry, Thakuri and Newar) and gender (male- or female-headed households) were randomly surveyed to assess changes in household food security after the adoption of improved varieties. Use of improved varieties, on average, increased production by 50%, compared to the existing local cultivars (2.4 t ha−1) and this was reflected in the improvement of food security by 1.6 months (24% increase) in the year for all farmers. Food security for male-headed households increased from 7.4 to 9.1 months and for female-headed households from 6.4 to 7.9 months (by 23% in both). The average food security of all castes improved by 23%–31% but the increased food availability of the underprivileged castes of Dalits (from 5.1 to 6.4 months) and Janjati (from 5.8 to 7.6 months) from lower food security levels is more important than that for BCTN (from 7.5 to 9.2 months). Similarly, food deficit households (C and B) had higher food availability over the food surplus households (A). The results indicate that the targeted participatory approach can reverse the findings of past maize research and development efforts which benefited only the elite farmers.
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Notes
People usually go to Gulf countries or India for non-skilled labor to support the family back at home (Approximately 20% of households have this support).
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Acknowledgements
We are thankful to farmers of the mid-hills. Assistance received from hill research stations under the Nepal Agricultural Research Council (NARC), hill District Agriculture Development Offices (DADOs) under the Department of Agriculture (DoA), Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and community based organizations (CBOs), and their associated staff, is thankfully acknowledged. The authors appreciate the assistance of Mr. Surath Pradhan with editing figures. We would also like to thank Drs. Marianne Bänziger, Kevin Pixley and Jon Hellin, Deputy Director Research, then Associate Director, CIMMYT Global Maize Programme and CIMMYT Poverty Specialist, respectively, for their encouragement, support and guidance. Thank is also due to Prof. J.R. Witcombe for his encouragement and guidance. This publication is an output from a collaborative initiative between the Government of Nepal and the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) through the Hill Maize Research Project (HMRP). The views expressed are not necessarily those of these institutions. Finally, we thank CIMMYT editor Dr. Mike Listman for his assistance.
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During the period in which this study was conducted, the author was with CIMMYT - Nepal
A=households with a food availability of 12 months or more; B=households with a food availability of more than 6 months, but less than 12 months; and C=households with a food availability of less than 6 months, generated from their own production. These categories are based solely on food availability.
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Tiwari, T.P., Ortiz-Ferrara, G., Gurung, D.B. et al. Rapid gains in food security from new maize varieties for complex hillside environments through farmer participation. Food Sec. 2, 317–325 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12571-010-0078-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12571-010-0078-z