OAR@ICRISATThe adoption of ICM technologies by poor farmers in NepalP CStevensonauthorSPandeauthorR KNeupaneauthorR NChaudharyauthorV ABouraiauthorJ NRaoauthorDGrzywaczauthorRural poverty remains pervasive throughout Nepal, the poorest country in South Asia and a predominantly agrarian nation, with 60% of its GNP derived from agriculture. The principal foods are cereals (rice, maize and wheat) with grain legumes grown as secondary crops during the winter, mostly in paddy fields using residual moisture for plant establishment. As the staple crop, rice is grown in 1.45 million hectares across the country but 400,000 ha remain fallow in winter (Subba Rao et al. 2001). The exploitation of this uncultivated land offers one route to resolving problems of food security in Nepal. Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.), the 3rd most important pulse in Nepal after lentils {Lens esculenta) and pigeonpea [Cajanus cajan) provides a high yielding and high value crop option for poor farmers. Like all pulses, chickpea is a very important source of protein for poor rural families and equally so for the urban poor. It is also valuable because it is a highly versatile grain and is used for making biscuits, breads and sweets as well as a soup vegetable. It provides an excellent crop with which to tackle food security and alleviating malnutrition, and as a winter crop, it lends a strong focus on the agricultural role of women.Agriculture-Farming, Production, Technology, Economics2005Conference or Workshop Item

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