Author: Giridhari Sharma Paudel
AIT Library Call Number: AIT Diss. no.RD-01-2
Year: 2001
Academic Program: Regional and Rural Development Planning (RRDP)
Type: Thesis (Ph.D.) – Asian Institute of Technology, 2001
Examination Committee: Gopal B. Thapa (Chairperson); Karl E. Weber, Rainer Loof, Werner Doppler(Examination Committee Members)
Abstract: The main objective of this study is to examine farmers’ land management practices and determinants so as to make combination to promote environmentally and economically sound land management practices for sustainable agricultural development in Phewatal and YamdiMardi watersheds of western Hills of Nepal. Info1mation were collected through a survey of 300 households, comprising 155 households from the project area and 145 from the nonproject area, institutional survey, key informants interview, group discussion and observation. Analytical tools employed include descriptive and analytical statistics, indexes and logical reasoning. Agriculture being the major source of household food supply, most farmers in both areas have pursued efforts to enhance land productivity to cope with shrinking landholdings size caused by ever increasing population. In this regard, they have intensified the use of gharbari and bari, adopted HYVs and shifted gradually from cereal based to cash crop based cropping system, though the pace of the change is slow and highly localized in accessible areas. Farmers have also made their efforts to improve land management so as to enhance the crop production. In this regard, they have improved terraces, intensified agroforestry practice and participated in gully control, landslide stabilization and waterway construction activities. They also have adopted alley cropping and mulching to control soil erosion and landslide, and applied chemical fertilizers, farmyard manure, compost and green manure to improve land productivity. While the overall change in land management has been positive in both areas, relatively high degree of change has been experienced in the project area due to the external financial and technical support. Some of the changes in the non-project area are spill-over effect of land management implemented in the project area with external assistance. Despite farmers’ awareness of conservation measures and continues efforts made for land management, majority of farmlands in both ar
Scholarship Donor(s): Government of Japan
Note: A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the award of Doctor of Philosophy,School of Environment, Resources and Development
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