Browsing by Author "Radovich, Theodore J. K."

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  • Analysis of farmer and extension agent preference in Nepal using Analytic Hierarchy Process
    Chan-Halbrendt, Catherine; Reed, Brinton F.; Halbrendt, Jacqueline; Lai, Cynthia; Radovich, Theodore J. K.; Limbu, P. (Honolulu, HI: University of Hawaii, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management, 2012)
    Subsistence farmers in Nepal rely on marginal lands that are subject to declining fertility due, in part, to traditional farming practices. These farmers regularly face critical decisions regarding which crops to produce and which production practices to adopt. The introduction of conservation agriculture (CA) practices has the potential to improve livelihoods and food security but depends on farmer perceptions and knowledge sharing between farmers and extension staff. This study uses Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to determine farmer and extension staff preferences for selected CA strategies. This data is then used to determine which practices have the highest likelihood of adoption, identify farmer incentives, and facilitate mutual understanding among farmers and extension agents. AHP was conducted in three villages and two organizations that provide extension services for rural subsistence communities. Overall, soil quality was identified as the most important factor affecting household income. Farmers preferred full till and cowpea monocrop while extension agents preferred strip till with cowpea /millet intercrop. Results suggest that (1) there is a knowledge gap among farmers regarding the advantages of minimal till and soil fertility; (2) farmers prefer short term profits over sustainable production; and (3) there is a lack of understanding between farmers and non-farmers regarding the effectiveness of intercropping. In order to maximize adoption of CA practices, farmer education and communications with extension agents should be improved by means of increasing the frequency of focus groups, workshops, and site visits.
  • CAPS options for Tentuli Village
    Idol, Travis; Chan-Halbrendt, Catherine; Radovich, Theodore J. K. (Honolulu HI: College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management, 2011)
    This presentation uses the results of soil and agronomic data analysis to make recommendations for CAPS options in Tentuli Village, India.
  • Differences in farmer and expert beliefs and the perceived impacts of conservation agriculture
    Halbrendt, Jacqueline; Gray, Steven A.; Crow, S.; Radovich, Theodore J. K.; Kimura, A. H.; Tamang, Bishal B. (2014)
    This article compares the perceptions of conservation agriculture on the part of farmers with that of the agricultural experts tasked with spreading a technology. Differences among these two groups in reasoning and predictions was examined in Nepal. It was found that outcomes from adoption of conservation agriculture better reflected farmers' predictions than the supposed experts, providing evidence to support two-way learning models and discouraging universal application of an agricultural technology.
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    Economic analysis of conservation agriculture in maize-based farming system in Nepal
    Paudel, Bikash; Chan-Halbrendt, Catherine; Norton, George W.; Nguema, Abigail M.; Limbu, P.; Radovich, Theodore J. K.; Crow, Susan; Halbrendt, Jacqueline (Honolulu HI: College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management, 2013)
    A linear programming technique was used to estimate the revenue maximizing allocation of land for a representative household using conservation agriculture production system (CAPS) and farmers’ traditional practices. The model was optimized in five different scenarios. Scenario 1, 2, 3 and 4 were build by allowing annual soil loss to 1, 2, 3 and 4 t ha-1 yr-1 respectively, whereas scenario 5 was build with unconstrained soil loss. Scenario suggested that unless soil loss is considered, conservation tillage does not appear in the profit maximizing allocation of land. Practice with strip tillage appeared in the profit optimized model of all scenarios where soil loss was constrained. Scenario 1 and 2 had about 71 and 66 % of land allotted to maize followed by millet+cowpea intercrop with strip tillage practice. Result also suggested that the representative farm have to sacrifice about $88.6 for about 7 years and $50.1 ha-1 yr-1 (-7.6% and -4.1% revenue) if they aim to reduce the soil loss to 1 and 2 t ha-1 yr-1 respectively. An analysis of the total change in economic surplus associated with adopting the revenue maximizing crop mix was completed. The analysis suggests that conservation agriculture will eventually pay off because total change in economic surplus for 12 years is estimated to be $3,735 million (net present value) if only 1% of the total area adopts the revenue maximization crop mix with a 2 t ha-1 yr-1 soil loss constraint.
  • Economic analysis of farm labor and profitability of three tribal villages in Nepal
    Reed, Brinton F.; Chan-Halbrendt, Catherine; Halbrendt, Jacqueline; Lai, Cynthia; Radovich, Theodore J. K.; Limbu, P. (2012)
    The introduction of conservation agriculture practices, such as strip tilling and intercropping with nitrogen-fixing legumes can increase long-term farm profitability and ensure long-term soil productivity. Survey and trial plot data from three tribal villages is used to provide an analysis of profitability and labor requirements associated with strip tillage, intercropping, and crop selection. Results have implications for food security, government policy, and regional agribusiness opportunities.
  • Economic analysis of farm labor and profitability of three tribal villages in the central middle hills region of Nepal
    Reed, Brinton F.; Chan-Halbrendt, Catherine; Lai, Cynthia; Radovich, Theodore J. K.; Limbu, Prakash (Honolulu HI: College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management, 2013)
    Tribal villages in Nepal’s “Middle Hills” region practice traditional farming techniques that contribute to ongoing decreases in agricultural productivity. The introduction of conservation agriculture practices, such as strip tillage and intercropping with nitrogen-fixing legumes can increase long-term farm profitability and help ensure long-term soil productivity. In this study, survey and trial plot data from three tribal villages is used to provide an analysis of profitability and changes in labor requirements associated with the introduction of strip tillage, intercropping and residue management. The current farmer practice of millet monocropping (T1) was least profitable of all systems and cowpea monocropping (T2) was the most profitable. Cowpea monocropping also required the least labor and thus, is the most suitable candidate for adoption at the time of this study. However, millet and cowpea intercropping with a minimum (strip) tillage regime (T4) may provide higher profits than all other treatments once the long-term benefits of strip-tillage take effect. In addition, labor requirements for T4 are most in line with current labor division by gender and as a result, this treatment might prove the most suitable for adoption over the long term. It is recommended that high quality legume seed be provided to improve smallholder livelihoods and increase regional food production.
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    Effect of conservation agriculture (on crop yields and system productivity) in maize-based farming system in the mid-hills of Nepal
    Paudel, Bikash (2014)
    This presentation introduces the concept of using CAPS as a way to improve food security in the Mid-hills region of Nepal.
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    Effect of conservation agriculture on maize-based farming system in the mid-hills of Nepal
    Paudel, Bikash; Radovich, Theodore J. K.; Chan-Halbrendt, Catherine; Crow, Susan; Tamang, Bishal B.; Halbrendt, Jacqueline; Thapa, Keshab (2014)
    Conservation agriculture (CA) systems composed of intercropping and strip tillage practices were evaluated on marginalized maize-based farming system in hill region of Nepal. On-farm experimental trials were conducted on the field of 25 smallholder farmers in three villages of central mid-hill region. Results indicated that although CA systems did not increase crop yields; higher return and revenue were generated due to increased number of crop harvests and higher price of the cash crops used in intercropping. Therefore, it was concluded that smallholder farmers should adopt CA system for increasing return and improving sustainability of the farming system.
  • Gender analysis of agricultural labor in the mid-hills of Nepal and the implications for the adoption of conservation agriculture
    Halbrendt, Jacqueline (Honolulu, HI: University of Hawaii, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management, 2013)
    Because women share much of the burden of agricultural production, it is critical to examine the impact that agricultural innovations will have on the distribution of labor between genders. Conservation agriculture has been identified as an innovation to improve agricultural production in the Mid-hills of Nepal by reducing erosion and increasing soil organic matter. This paper identifies the gendered distribution of agricultural labor in three Chepang tribal villages of central Nepal, in order to estimate the changes in labor required by conservation agriculture interventions, and assess the implications of labor shifts with respect to the potential for adoption of conservation agriculture practices. Three tribal villages in Chepang were surveyed, with the male and female heads for each household questioned separately to assess the labor hours from each gender for cropping activities under conventional and conservation agricultural systems. Field experiments were also conducted to determine labor hours necessary for the adoption of conservation agriculture practices. Conservation agriculture was found to increase women’s share of agricultural labor, with a greater increase for intercropping with conventional tillage than for intercropping and minimal tillage.
  • Gendered implications for agricultural labor in the mid-hills of Nepal with the introduction of conservation agriculture practices
    Halbrendt, Jacqueline; Reed, Brinton F.; Radovich, Theodore J. K.; Tamang, Bishal B. (Honolulu HI: College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management, 2013)
    The effect of gender-based labor on the success of agricultural development interventions is largely understudied. In this research, the gender distribution of labor and the potential shifts of labor distribution with the introduction of conservation agriculture (CA) are considered to determine possible barriers to adoption at the community level. Individual households were surveyed in three tribal communities in the central mid-hills of Nepal to conduct an activities analysis by gender. Three major crops were the focus of the survey: maize, millet, and legumes. The survey assessed the labor hours spent in five categories of cultivation: plowing, fertilizer application, sowing/transplant, weeding, and harvest. Field experiments were also conducted to measure the labor shifts from the introduction of two CA practices, intercropping and minimum tillage. The data was analyzed to determine the percent change in labor from shifting farmer practices to the two CA practices. Results showed an overall detrimental effect in percent change of labor for women, with an increase in total labor demands; however, the analysis highlights the optimal CA options in terms of beneficial changes to labor demands for each cultivation activity. Nevertheless, utilizing a minimum tillage practice along with leguminous intercropping of millet proved to reduce the labor disparity between the genders. Identifying such labor shifts can be crucial to improve development approaches for long-term adoption of new practices and the framework provided can be applied to similar farming systems.
  • Improving food security in Nepal: An economic analysis of conservation agriculture adoption in three subsistence farming villages
    Chan-Halbrendt, Catherine; Reed, Brinton F.; Halbrendt, Jacqueline; Radovich, Theodore J. K.; Crow, S.; Limbu, P. (Honolulu Hawaii: College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management, 2012)
    International efforts to increase food security struggle with increasing populations and decreasing quantities of productive farmland, especially in developing countries. Conservation agriculture (CA) practices can improve regional food security, preserve land fertility, and improve community resilience against climate change. This makes the incorporation of such practices an imperative in these regions. In Nepal, traditional farming practices on marginal land have led to widespread soil degradation and declines in agricultural productivity. This study estimates the household-level economic returns, with and without labor opportunity costs, gained by the adoption of selected CA practices in three remote Nepali villages. Socio-economic data was collected in April 2011 (27 surveys covering over 25% of the households) and paired with trial plot data from each village to determine the changes in profitability and labor requirements for three CA treatments using a budget enterprise model. Results indicate that the use of cowpea as a rotational crop produces the highest economic returns (62% higher than current farmer practice and around 36% higher than other treatments) while the current farmer practice of full tillage and millet monocropping is the least profitable . These results highlight the economic benefits of CA practices over traditional farming techniques and make the case for the provision of high-value, N-fixing crop seeds for use as rotational crop or intercrop. Such policies could improve the food security and economic well-being of Nepal’s farming communities.
  • Maintenance of soil quality and sustainable production through implementation of conservation agriculture production systems (CAPS) in rainfed, sloping land farming of the mid-hill region of Nepal
    Crow, S. E.; Radovich, Theodore J. K.; Paudyal, P.; Paudel, Bikash; Halbrendt, Jacqueline; Tamage, B. B.; Thapa, Keshab (Honolulu HI: College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management, 2013)
    A challenge that central mid-hills communities in Nepal face is maintaining soil fertility and health in upland terraced systems while simultaneously achieving increased productivity and avoiding soil degradation. To determine the effect of conservation agricultural production systems (CAPS) on soil quality and productivity, replicated on-farm experimental plots with a control, legume sole crop, legume intercrop, and reduced tillage treatments were established in three villages of the Trishuli River watershed area. Soil physical and chemical properties were assessed to examine inherent differences among villages that will contribute to success/failure of CAPS. The villages differed in characteristics: high %silt, Mg2+ saturation, and Mn concentration (Thumka); high Ca2+ saturation and bulk density, low porosity and %clay (Hyakrang); stoniness, high %sand, %OM, %N, and effective cation exchange capacity (Khola Gaun). Although no significant differences in yield after two years of cultivation under CAPS were present, significant differences among villages occurred, suggesting the importance of variability in soil, microclimate (e.g., PAR and rainfall), and other socio-economic factors. We expect 1) increases in available N from legume inclusion and 2) improvement in soil quality and structure from organic matter accumulation under reduced tillage; although CAPS may take several years to have direct benefits on production. Further, we expect that CAPS will work indirectly through increased household wealth (via diversification of marketable crops) leading to more livestock and compost for soil amendment. For sustainability, these practices should be paired with agroforestry to improve access to fodder, reduce erosion, and reinforce traditional linkages of communities to forest resources.
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    On-farm performance evaluation of conservation agriculture production systems (CAPS) in the central mid-hills of Nepal
    Paudel, Bikash; Radovich, Theodore J. K.; Crow, Susan; Halbrendt, Jacqueline; Chan-Halbrendt, Catherine; Tamang, Bishal B.; Reed, Brinton F.; Thapa, Keshab (Honolulu, HI: University of Hawaii, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management, 2012)
    This abstract presents the first year results of trial plots in each of three Nepali tribal villages. Yield results are presented in terms of protein and household revenue. The results of an analytic hierarchy process conducted in each village to ascertain farmer preferences for CAPS is also presented.
  • Potential of conservation agriculture practices (CAPs) in enhancing food security of tribal people in central mid-hills of Nepal
    Paudel, Bikash; Radovich, Theodore J. K.; Halbrendt, Jacqueline; Thapa, Keshab (Honolulu, Hawaii: University of Hawaii, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management, 2012)
    Traditional agriculture in central mid hills of Nepal is characterized by cultivation of steep sloping lands, resulting lower productivity, degradation of soil health and reduction of livelihood options. The Sustainable Management of Agro-ecological Resources in Tribal Societies (SMARTS) project applied a participatory agro-ecological framework to develop improved conservation practices (CAPs) to contribute to sustainable livelihood of Chepang tribal people in central Nepal. CAPs were identified by a multidisciplinary research and extension team in collaboration with farmers. Selected CAPs included: Legume cover crop (cowpea), legume millet intercrop with full tillage and same intercrop with strip tillage. Data on crop yields was collected through systematically designed randomized-block design established in 24 farmers’ fields at three villages. Land equivalency ratio (LER), total protein yield, total carbohydrate yield and farm revenue was compared among different treatments. LER for yield in the millet-cowpea intercrop with full tillage was significantly higher (20%) than sole crops. The major gain is attributed to cowpea, which produced 75 percent of its sole crop yield even in intercropping. The CAPs were found to significantly increase protein yield per square meter, but not carbohydrate yield and revenue generation. However, the seasonal revenue generated from winter crops by all CAPs were significantly higher than millet sole crop. While the long-term effects of CAPs on soil and environmental health remains to be analyzed, these results provide evidence on potential of CAPs to increase yield and contribute to food security while sustaining agro-ecosystem function long-term.
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    Projection of aggregate and farm benefits of conservation agriculture productions systems using economic surplus analysis and linear programing in Nepal
    Paudel, Bikash; Chan-Halbrendt, Catherine; Nguema, Abigail M.; Norton, George W.; Tamang, Bishal B.; Radovich, Theodore J. K.; Crow, Susan; Halbrendt, Jacqueline (2013)
    Traditional agriculture in central mid hills of Nepal is characterized by cultivation of sloping lands, resulting in lower productivity and soil loss. The Sustainable Management of Agro-ecological Resources in Tribal Societies (SMARTS) project applied a participatory agro-ecological research framework to develop improved conservation agriculture practices system (CAPS) to contribute to sustainable livelihood of marginalized tribal farmers. This paper used economic surplus analysis at macro level to analyze the effect of adoption of adoption of different CAPS by farmers on aggregate benefits. The paper also used farm level linear programming model to estimate the revenue maximization allocation of the land for a representative households. The result indicated adoption of CAPS 2 (i.e. maize in first season followed by cowpea cover crop) increased the aggregate economic surplus but adoption of CAPS 3 and CAPS 4 did not increase the economic surplus. At farm level profit maximization model showed, when the soil loss is not considered, adoption of CAPS 1 on all land produced maximum revenue. Under the scenario build with maximum soil loss of 1 ton ha-1 year-1, adoption of CAPS 4 (maize followed by millet+cowpea intercrop with strip tillage) on 61% of land, CAPS 2 on 34% of land and CAPS 3 on 4% (maize followed by millet+cowpea intercrop with conventional tillage) was profit maximizing. Farmers can increase farm revenue and profit by adopting either of the scenarios.
  • Understanding gender-based labor constraints for the implementation of conservation agriculture
    Halbrendt, Jacqueline; Gray, Steven A.; Kimura, Aya Hirata; Radovich, Theodore J. K.; Reed, Brinton F.; Tamang, Bishal B. (2014)
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    Using competition ratios and total revenue parameters to assess millet and legume intercropping under conservation agriculture production systems in Nepal
    Paudel, Bikash; Radovich, Theodore J. K.; Crow, Susan; Halbrendt, Jacqueline; Chan-Halbrendt, Catherine; Tamang, Bishal B.; Reed, Brinton F. (Honolulu HI: College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management, 2013)
    Intercropping ratios such as land equivalency ratio (LER), competition ratio (CR), monetary advantage index (MAI) and total revenue from millet+legume intercrop under different conservation agriculture production systems (CAPS) designed for maize-based hill farming system of Nepal were compared using general linear model ANOVA. The data was collected through on-farm experimental plots from 28 farming households in central mid-hill of Nepal for two years. Maize was the only crop in first season (March-June), which was followed by four treatments, i.e. millet sole by conventional tillage (CT), legume sole by CT, millet+legume with CT and millet+legume with strip tillage (ST). Cowpea was planted as legume crop in first year, while was replaced by black gram in second year. The initial trend indicated ST had negative effect on yield of following season maize crop. The average LER of intercropping treatments was significantly higher than the sole crops indicating advantage of intercropping, but strip tillage was found to reduce the derived advantage. Although, LER of millet+legume intercrop increased from 1.16 to 1.31 in ST and 1.27 to 1.39 in CT in second year, total revenue decreased because of reduced contribution of high value legume to total LER. Millet+black gram intercrop in second year was found to have higher LER and monetary advantage index (MAI) than millet+cowpea intercrop in first year. It was found that there is economic incentive to farmers for adopting intercropping but there is no incentive adopt conservation tillage in short term. Considering the long-term sustainability and ecosystem benefits of conservation tillage, farmers need to be provided with initial supports for adoption of conservation agriculture.