SUMMARY OF SITE CHARACTERIZATION
by LI-BIRD (Local Initiatives for Biodiversity Research & Development)
Site Name: Kaski
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LOCATION
| Tertiary administrative unit |
Begnas (9,10) Talbeshi (11) Kholako Chew (14) and wards of Rupakot Village (1, 7 and 8) |
| Secondary administrative unit |
Lekhnath Munacipality and Rupakot Village Development Committee (VDC) |
| Primary administrative unit |
Kaski District |
| Country |
Nepal |
| Latitude (d.d.mm.ss) |
28 7' 35.62"N to 28 11' 54. 71"N |
| Longitude (dd.mm.ss) |
84 06' 1.26" E to 84 09' 49.73" E |
| Elevation (m) |
668-1206m (Topographic map) |
| Topography of region |
Ancient lake and river terraces and moderately to steeply slopping mountainous terain |
| Position of site in regional topography |
Western Development Region
16 KM east from Pokhara Nepal |
ABIOTIC ENVIRONMENT
| Mean annual temperature |
20.9 C |
| Mean annual precipitation |
3979 |
| Mean daily minimum of coldest month |
7.0 |
| Mean daily maximum of hottest month |
30.5 |
| Monthly means of temperature |
20.9 |
| Monthly means of precipitation |
332 |
| Koppen climate classification |
Not known |
| FAO agro-ecological zones systems classification (if avail) |
Sub-tropical, warm temperate, cool temperate, sub-alpine, alpine"arctic-like" |
| FAO soil classification |
Dystrict luvisol, Dystrict cambisol in general mixed system and Luthic regosol in steeply slope, Flurisol in flat and river basin areas |
| National soil classification |
Nepal has adopted USDA system of soil classification |
| Indigenous knowledge on soil classification |
Pango miskat, Rato Chimte, Balaute, Domat, Kalo gager, Fusro Rukho, Kalo Girkhe, Khairo Chimte, Kamere Balaute |
| Recent disasters (fire, flood, war) frequency of incidence |
- Hail storm
- Earth quake
- Flood
- Landslide
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BIOTIC ENVIRONMENT
| Farming system classification |
Crops, forestry and livestock mixed farm systems exist which are guided by land use pattern. Rice in both irrigated and upland and maize/millet in upland for example form major farm systems particularly of in situ villages |
| Specialized classification of growing environment of target crop |
Based on soil moisture and temperature regimes, soil types, air temperature, farming practices |
| Average livestock holdings (no./hh) |
5.05 per HH |
| Pest/ diseases present, frequency of incidence |
Blast and stem borer in rice, White grub in taro, Powdery in cucumber, Leaf blast of finger millet |
SOCIOECONOMIC DATA
| Ethnic groups (names and %) |
Bramhin (56.3%), Chhetri (16%), Gurung (8.7%), KDS i.e. occupational caste (13%) etc. |
| Total population |
Estimated population is about 6070 |
| Status of migration (% in/out) |
Seasonal out migration at household level is at 6.8% (particularly under slack season. However, in migration has not been reported so far. |
| Total cropping area (ha) |
The estimated cultivable land is about 363.42 hectares. IUCN (96) reported that the area under Rupa and Begnas watershed is about 39 SQ. KM. Estimated forest area is 1765 ha, grazing land is at 203ha, dry field is about 385ha, the rice field is about 688 ha. |
| Average size of holdings (ha/hh) including range |
Study indicated that size of land holding differed with wealth categories. It was at 1.15, 0.6 and 0.25ha for rich, medium and poorer, respectively. However, the mean land holding was at 0.73 ha. |
| Fragmentation of holdings (e.g. average size of plot, distance from house to furthest plot) |
Total number of parcels varied with wealth categories and ranged from 8.29 (rich) to 3.1 (poor) where the average number was at 5.72. Plot size also differed with categories and it ranged from 3.65 to (rich) to 1.99 (poor) where the mean size was 2.91. It clearly indicates that size and parcels is directly associated with wealth group. |
| Distance to nearest market/ major town |
16KM East from Pokhara Sub-metropolitan city of Kaski Nepal |
| Distance to nearest paved road |
3 KM |
| Main land tenure system |
Almost of all land is privately owned. However, share cropping is also practiced. |
| Political system |
Multiparty democracy under constitutional monarchy |
TARGET CROPS
Target Crop 1: Rice
- Total number of landraces
- Total area
- Total list of farmer descriptors (morphological, environmental/ ecological/ use).
- Total list of farmer preferences
- Total list of farmer management practices
6. Farming calendar (timing of main activities-done during the year)
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- 64 including upland rices plus 5 improved
- Area estimated from baseline is 363.42 ha. HH living out side also hold large areas within in situ village and hence areas hold by these outside farmers has been excluded from the estimation
- Grains & panicles, Plant and straw, yield and color, Taste, market price and milling for morphologic and adaptation and yield for ecology and chiura, medicine and siroula for their use as described in the table.
- Taste, texture, eating rice quality, straw quality, etc. are preferred traits and these are subject to change and are relative terms.
- Above 95% HH use compost and only about 40% do not apply chemical fertilizers. Above 90% farmers do not use any pesticide in their crops. The trend of using chemical fertilizer is increasing.
- Growing season is between June and October where field operations like land preparation, compost application, seeding, transplanting, weeding, water management harvesting, threshing and storage are done
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Target crop 2: Finger millet
- Total No. of varieties
- Total area
- Total list of farmer descriptors (morphological, environmental/ ecological/ use)
- Total list of farmer preferences
- Total list of farmer management practices
- Farming calendar
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- 24 as recorded in baseline study
- Total estimated area under finger millet is about 133.38 ha.
- Landraces are described in terms of factors that either determine or influence their selection. Moisture and temperature regimes in ecology, pre-and postharvest traits in morphologic traits and different forms of the products are considered.
- White and bold grain for bread and black and bold grain that produce more alcohol, straw quality and yield
- Grown as mixed or in sequence with maize, ethnic related crop, mixed with black gram, manure applied to main crop often transplanted, no pesticide used.
- Crops period is between July and November. Seeding, transplanting, weeding, picking, heaping thereby threshing and storing or selling
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Target crop 3: Taro
- Total No. of varieties
- Total area
- Total list of farmer descriptors (morphological, environmental/ ecological/ use)
- Total list of farmer preferences
- Total list of farmer management practices
- Farming calendar
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- 24 landraces have been reported in base line study.
- Taro is largely a garden crop and is grown in small area. In most cases areas fall below 5 sq. m. and it may go as high as 50 sq.m. Above 70%, farmers however, grow taro for home consumption. Richer families grow more landraces and maintain up to 3 landraces only whereas it went up to 8 in case of richer families.
- Stem, leaf and root characters are the basics parts farmers often use them to describe. Landraces are habitat specific it can be either adapted to swamp or dry land. On the basis of use of plant parts landraces are also categorized. Names are given based on their use values.
- Stem for masaura, tender leaf for gava, roots to use them as boils and as dal
- Grown near compost pits, compost applied only when grown away from homestead. Landraces are often mixed and also inter-cropped with maize if it is to grown in larger scale.
- Grown between April and October. Stems and leaves are picked in between. Land preparation, application of Compost, weeding and multiple harvesting of leaves and stems in particular is done.
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Target 4: Cucumber
- Total No. of varieties
- Total area
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- 14 landraces reported
- About 66% of the HH grow cucumber landraces between 1 and 4. About 85% of the sample HH grow one variety. Poorer farmers grow only one or two varieties.
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Target crop 5: Sponge gourd
- Total No. of varieties
- Total area
- Total list of farmer descriptors (morphological, environmental/ ecological/ use)
- Total list of farmer preferences
- Total list of farmer management practices
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- 13 landraces have been reported
- Kitchen garden crop and a few plants are grown per HH near homestead. No area could be recorded.
- Three basics such as fruits, plant and eating qualities are considered while describing them in morphologic traits.
- Taste, fruit size and color
- Grown using high amount of Compost with staking and are trailed to the house roofs. Fresh harvested and often sold on the basis of yield.
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