Increasing Crop Water Productivity through Local Crops and Technologies: A Case from the Ethnic Chepang Community of Nepal

Abstract

Water is the most important and scarce production resource, and with changing climate the importance of this resource increases significantly. Increasing efforts are being made in research and education to maximize the water use efficiently with the concept of ‘crop per drop’ to increase crop water productivity with a good blend of science and indigenous knowledge. Nepalese farmers are adapting the best to water scarcity through adoption of sustainable soil management and the use of crops with minimum water requirement, among other options. This paper attempts to deal with the neglected issues of using local crops and indigenous knowledge and technologies for increasing water productivity.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/hn.v11i1.7204

Hydro Nepal Special Issue: Conference Proceedings 2012 pp.50-53