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A REPORT ICIMOD International Center for Integrated Mountain Development Jawalakhel, Kathmandu, Nepal May 2003 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS Title Page Executive Summary iii LIST OF TABLES v LIST OF FIGURES vi LIST OF APPENDICES vii 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1 1.2 Nepalese Agriculture 1 1.3 Priority to Poverty Alleviation 2 1.4 Gender Disrcimination 3 1.5 Fruit Cultivation 4 1.6 Citrus Growing in Nepal 5 2.0 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY 8 2.1 General Objective 8 2.2 Specific Objectives 8 3.0 METHODOLOGY 8 3.1 Reviews of Previous Studies 8 3.2 Field Survey 8 3.3 Field Visits and Monitoring 8 3.4 Report Preparation 8 4.0 REVIEWS OF THE PREVIOUS STUDIES 9 4.1 Citrus Cultivars 9 4.2 Production Constraints 12 5.0 POLLINATORS AND POLLINATION REQUIREMENTS 14 5.1 Pollination 18 5.2 Significance of Pollination in Citrus Crop Pollination 18 5.3 Honeybee Pollinators 19 5.4 Pollination Requirements and Practices 21 6.0 SURVEY FINDINGS 25 6.1 General Information 25 6.2 Citrus Cultivation and Gender Involvement 25 6.3 Orchard Management 28 6.4 Farmers Awareness on Pollinators 29 6.5 Support to Citrus and Pollinators Promotion 30 7.0 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 31 8.0 REFERENCES 34 APPENDICES 41 STRUCTURED QUESTIONNAIRE FOR SURVEY 36 CHECK LIST FOR ACADEMICIANS 40 2 LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1 Nepal: Key economic indicators 2 2 Trends in incidence and long-term target for poverty alleviation in Nepal 2 3 Gender disparity in Nepal 3 4 Fruit area and production in Nepal 4 5 Per capita annual consumption of fruits in Nepal 5 6 Citrus fruits producing districts by developmental regions in Nepal 6 7 Growth of citrus industry in Nepal 6 8 Commonly recognized citrus groups and their species 9 9 Total mandarin production area (ha) by developmental regions 10 10 Mandarin productive area (ha) by developmental regions 10 11 Mandarin production (mt) by developmental regions 10 12 Junar area and production by developmental regions 11 13 Kagati area and production by developmental regions 11 14 Nibuwa area and production by developmental regions 12 15 Main problems of citrus and suggested measures 13 16 Commonly recognized citrus hybrids 16 17 Citrus species and honeybee pollinators 18 18 Common arthropod visitors of citrus species (a, b, c) 22 19 Family structure and education status of citrus farming households 25 20 Source of income and savings of citrus farming households 25 21 Gender involvement in service and agriculture 25 22 a. Plantation and mortality of citrus saplings, b. Technicians feelings on citrus varieties grown by farmers with preference 26 23 a. Fruit sale by farmers from their orchards, b. Technicians responses on citrus marketing channel 27 3 24 Gender involvement in citrus plantation, fruit marketing and money handling 27 25 Various problems faced by citrus farmers 28 26 Pesticides used by farmers in citrus orchard 28 27 Indigenous knowledge of pest control practiced by farmers 28 28 a. Farmers awareness on harmful effects of pesticides, b. Technicians awareness on effects of pesticides on citrus pollination 29 29 Waiting period followed by users after spraying pesticides 29 30 a. Farmers awareness on pollinators visiting citrus flowers, b. Technicians awareness on citrus pollinators and pollination 29 31 a. Farmers with citrus orchard and beekeeping, b. Technicians awareness on wild honeybees visiting citrus flowers 30 32 Farmers awareness on biodiversity conservation and environment protection 30 33 a. supporting organizations to establish citrus orchard, b. Technicians suggestions on citrus growing and pollination promotion 31 LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1 Biodiversity conservation and productivity enhancement 31 1 IPM for pest management, conserving pollinators and increasing productivity 30 2 Photographs of citrus species, flowering, pollination, production, and marketing 41 LIST OF APPENDICES 4 Appendix Page 1 Structured questionnaire for survey 36 2 Checklist for academicians 41 5 Cash Crop Farming in Nepal: The Importance of Pollinators Diversity and Managed Pollination in Citrus Executive Summary Nepal offers a diversified climatic conditions and the natural resource base for low cost production of a wide variety of horticultural commodities of which citrus is one of the major fruits covering 25% of the total fruit area in 58 districts of the country and has been recognized as high value cash crop by National Agriculture Perspective Plan. At present, 55 districts, 49 in the hills and 6 in the terai covering a total area of 73775 ha produce 487326 mt citrus fruits in Nepal. APP (1995) puts higher demand i.e. more than double amount of fruits within the decades. A study was carried out to identify insect pollinator’s diversity and explore citrus production and marketing potential for generating cash income for improving livelihood of the rural subsistence farmers. Of the 55 sampled households involved in citrus farming, the average household size of the sampled citrus farmer was 6.5. The major source of income was from citrus farming (Rs 43933/ household/ annum) followed by services (Rs 36090/household/annum) and other agricultural activities. The study also indicates that citrus farming is associated with higher income families rather than poor subsistence farmers. Farmers planted different species of citrus crops of which orange was the main citrus grown in commercial scale with an average of nearly 200 plants per citrus farmers while lime was confined in very small scale production and sale. Other citrus crops were grown just for home consumption. The variety selection was based on easy high productivity and easy marketing Sapling mortality was the highest in Junar (>46%), intermediate in orange (18%) and lime (12%) with no mortality of Nibuwa saplings at the farmers field level. Majority of farmers (84%) sell their fruits through middleman (contractor) because they have no groups and have no access to distant market. Therefore, there exists a big gap between producers and consumers and farmers have no bargaining power of their produce and are deprived of higher profits. The survey clearly showed a great disparity in gender involvement in citrus farming. It also indicated that involvement of male and female varied as per specific activities. Decision making and money handling (orchard site and citrus variety selection, harvesting and marketing fruits, training) was solely on the male’s possession while women’s involvement was even higher than male in some specific field works such as pit filling, weeding, manuring and intercropping indicating an ample opportunities of women involvement in citrus farming. 6 Citrus farmers have faced various problems such as natural (hailstorms), biological (Insects and disease pests, wild animals) and technical (experiences, skills, training etc) difficulties. There is no record of complete failure of crops for past 5-10 years, but majority of the farmers lost part of their crops due to unpredicted hailstorms, increasing pests and lack of irrigation facility. More than 50% of the farmers have been practicing control measures of which majority spray different chemicals while a few also apply their indigenous knowledge of pest management techniques. However, very few farmers (11%) are aware of harmful effects of pesticides and only few farmers (7%) wait after spray to pick up fruits. Technicians are better aware than farmers in this regard but that have not been transformed to farmers level. Development of citrus is mainly through the efforts of HMGN. But role of pollinators in citrus pollination and productivity enhancement has completely been forgotten. Majority of farmers and technicians are not aware of natural pollinators or managed pollination of citrus. More than 90% of the citrus farmers have no idea of pollinators and pollination of citrus and very few farmers (15%) have local bees in hives which is just for honey production not for managed pollination. Farmers are not aware of biodiversity conservation and environment protection. Rather, they have a common feeling that bees or insects suck fruit juice and reduce crop yield. Based on the survey, orange and lemon can be taken as priority crops and their production and productivity can be increased through the promotion of these crops and their pollinators. It has been learned from various high value crop production activities that group mobilization and community development has been proved better for institutionalization of the program and therefore, promotion of indigenous bees and conservation of other pollinators of crops in the hills and the mountains may not be possible in isolation rather working through group formation and their mobilization will develop capability of the local organization to run their activity themselves in the long run. Foraging preference of different pollinators including honeybees to crop pollination and their suitability at different ecological regimes need to be studied. Based on their preference, and efficiency on pollination of selected priority crops their establishment and isolation with species can be maintained in the future. Hence, the first priority is that citrus farming as the mainstay of subsistence farmers through group mobilization and the second priority its promotion through integrated approach are the best choices to increase productivity, conserve, natural and managed pollinators, and maintaining sound and healthy biodiversity as well. 7 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background Nepal is a small Himalayan country with amazing bio-geographical setting along with climatic variations supporting rich biological diversity in a small area of 147181 km2. The climatic feature shows that it gets cooler from South to North decreasing temperature 1 0C with every 3 0 North Latitude and 0.5 0C at every 100 m altitude. Day and night temperature highly fluctuates in the western parts than in the eastern parts of the country. Southern facing of the land surface is warmer than northern facing and thus soil temperature is also influenced by land surface facing to north or south.