Presentacion de 11th Asian Maize Conference which took place in Beijing, China from November 7 – 11, 2011.

1. Improving Maize Food Security in
the Hills of Nepal Through
Participatory Variety Selection and
Community Based Seed Production
MoAC SDC USAID CIMMYT
11th Asian Maize Conference
Nanning, China, 7-11 November 2011

2. • G. Ortiz Ferrara, CIMMYT/HMRP
• N. Gadal, CIMMYT/HMRP
• Dilli KC, CIMMYT/HMRP
• D.B. Gurung, NARC/NMRP
• S. Pokharel, DoA/CDD
(G. Ortiz-Ferrara@cgiar.org)

3. Background - Nepal
• Mountainous country
• Population – 29 M
• 88% population live in rural areas
• About 72% engaged in agriculture
• Annual per capita GDP < US$675
• Farm size less than 1 ha
• Average household of 6-8 persons

4. Maize in Nepal
• Grown in 0.876 m ha, 78% in the
hills
• National average yield of 2.2 t/ha
• A staple crop in the hills
• Used almost exclusively as food
…”If there is no maize, there is
nothing to eat”

5. Major Maize Production
Constraints
• Farmers unaware of new maize
technologies…..(Extension)
• Limited access to improved
seed…..(Seed Production)
• Poor market opportunities

6. Agencies Involved in the Seed
Sector of Nepal
Public sector (NARC, DoA, NSC, NSB, etc.)
Community (Cooperatives, CBSP, DISSPRO, CSB)
Private agencies (SEAN, Seed Co., Agrovets)
Importers (open border with India)
Source: S. Pokharel, 2011

7. Seed Flows Within the Nepal Seed System

8. Gaps in the Current Nepal Seed System
Supply dominated by Lack of well equipped
informal seed system laboratories and trained
manpower
Weak seed certification system Transportation (poor
road infrastructure)
Insufficient supply of
source seed (BS/FS) Limited involvement
of the private sector
Poor seed storage and processing facilities
Open border with India
Inadequate food/seed
buffer stock

9. The Hill Maize
Research Program
(HMRP)
MoAC SDC USAID CIMMYT

10. Strategic Goal
“Farm households in the
hills of Nepal, especially
of poor and disadvantaged
groups, have improved food
security and income”

11. HMRP Target Hill Areas
• 20 Districts
• >35,000 farmers/year

12. Partners (1999-2011)
Government and Non-Government
• MoAC
• NARC
• DoA
• INGOs / NGOs
• Private Entrepreneurs
• Universities
• Donors (SDC, USAID)
• Farmers

13. Germplasm Introduction
Mid- and High Hills
OPVs OPVs
CIMMYT-Mexico CIMMYT-Zimbabwe
Sub-Tropical CIMMYT-Colombia
Program Other sources

14. Multilocation Testing of OPV
Varieties in Nepal
Regression of grain yield (kg ha-1) of Deuti,
Shitala, Mana-3 and Local on to the mean grain
yield of all varieties grown in PVS trials (2002,
2003 and 2004). Source Tiwari, et al. 2005)

15. Improved Maize Varieties Released
by NMRP/NARC, Nepal (2002-09)
Normal - Released QPM– Released
• Manakamana 3 -2002 • Poshilo Makai-1 - 2008
• Deuti (ZM 621) -2006 (S99TLWQ-HG-AB)
• Shitala (Pop 44) -2006
QPM – Pipeline
• Manakamana 4 -2008
• CorralejoS99SIWQ,
• Manakamana-5 (HPW)-2009
• S99TLYQ-B,
• Manakamana-6 (HPY) - 2009 • CelayaS91SIWQ
Normal – Pipeline • S99TLYQ-HGAB
• Arun-4, Arun-1 EV,
• Res. Composite, others

16. Enhancing Technology Adoption Through
Participatory Variety Selection (PVS)

17. MOTHER-BABY CONCEPT
Baby
Trial
Baby
2009 Trial Baby
Trial
Baby
Trial CONSULTATIVE
(E-1+LC)
Baby
Trial ~10 km Mother Baby
Baby Trial Trial
Trial
(E1-E12)
Baby
COLLABORATIVE
Trial
Baby Baby
Trial Trial
(E-12+LC)
Baby
2010 Trial
Baby
Trial
FARMER’S SELECTION LOCAL VARIETY
• TRADITIONAL • TRADITIONAL
CULTIVATION CULTIVATION
• RECOMMENDED • RECOMMENDED
SEED CROP CROP
PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT MANAGEMENT
(CBSP)

18. Community Based Seed Production
• Approach to produce seed of
farmer’s-preferred varieties selected
through PVS
• Managed by the community
• Linked with M-B Scheme
• More efficient in remote hill areas
• Marked oriented in a value chain system
• Training, small infrastructure, source
seed and linkages to markets essential for
it’s sustainability
• Highly effective to meet seed demand gap

19. Decentralized Source Seed Production
Through CBSP

20. Improved Maize Seed Production Under CBSP
* Enough for ~ 75,000 ha at seeding rate of 20 kg/ha 1500 *
* Meets ~ 30 % of annual seed demand in the hills
Tons Groups 830
664
555
480
405
259 309 335
250
131 141 174 174
4521 60 64 82 90
14 7 16 30
2011
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
(Est)
Tons 14 45 131 259 309 335 405 480 555 664 830 1500
Groups 7 21 16 30 60 64 82 90 141 174 174 250
*
Source: HMRP (1999-2010)

22. Linking Farmers With Traders
Seed Sold by Devistan Women Farmers Group,
Chhatiwan, Palpa (17 dalit farmers)
Rs.
Agrovets: Pokhara 1100 kg @ 21= 23100
Syangja 1100 Kg @ 22= 24200
Galyang 200 Kg @ 22= 4400
Tansen 1000 Kg @ 24= 24000
Rampur 25 Kg @ 24= 600
Koldanda 550 Kg @ 25= 13750
Madanpokhara 300 Kg @ 25= 7500
DADO: Palpa 214 Kg @ 24 = 5136
Total 4489 Kg 102,686 Rs.
(US$ 1,604)

23. Evolution of Sindhu-Tuki
CBSP Group, S/Palchowk, Nepal
2010 Company
2008 Cooperative
2005 Seed grower
farmer groups
Farmer
2004 community

24. Sustainability, Economics and Marketing of CBSP
Membership Negotiated Market
fee, fee on price, price
sales wholesaler price
Farmers Farmers’ Traders & Farmers
(seed groups & retailers, seed (seed
producers) cooperatives companies users)
Affordable
Household Commercial
Cost covering seeds, higher
revenue, revenue margin
production
gross margin revenue
& income

25. Progress Made on Food Security (2007-2009)
bbbbBbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb
N = 21,252 HHs
bbbbbbbbbbbbbbHMRP-CIMMYT
Source: HMRP 2010

26. Progress Made on Social Inclusion
(2009-2011)
49,039
Estimated HMRP beneficiaries in 2011 (estimated) based
Fig 1: Distribution of
Progress made on Social Inclusion
figures for 2010-11
* on preliminary partner’s reports *
36,119
36,119
30,895
21,252
18,144
15,653
15,653
13,792
12,920
12,920
7,460
5,599
5,599
Non- Non- Non-
Discri Poor DAG Total
dicri poor DAG
2009/10 7,460 13,792 15,653 5,599 15,653 5,599 21,252
2010/11 18,144 30,895 36,119 12,920 36,119 12,920 49,039
*
Source: HMRP 2011

27. Maize Yield Increase Over Years (1985-2010)
Area and Production Yield (kg/ha)
HMRP *
2500000
2500 22.7%
2210
Area, ha Production Mt
2000 1906
2000000 1800
1681
1625
1500 1421
1500000
1000000 1000
500000 500
0 0
1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010
* In partnership with NMRP, DoA, NGOs, PS, Farmers MoAC 2009/10
Source:

28. Conclusions
• Maize…. A strategically important crop in Nepal
• Transfer of technology, seed systems and poor
marketing…. important constraints responsible
for low maize production
• PVS (M-B)…. An effective strategy to promote
the adoption of new technologies by resource-
poor farmers
• CBSP…. An efficient approach to meet seed
demand gap
• Partnership with farmers…. A key approach to
improve food security, livelihoods and social
inclusion.

29. THANK YOU!