Agriculture

Nepal is an agro based country as more than 80% people rely on it for their regular income. Though they spent most of their time in the agriculture sector, still the farmers are living under poverty. The introduction of chemical fertilizer brought the revolution in agriculture system of Nepal. At that time, it provided immediate positive benefits by increasing yield, decreasing the threats of pests and diseases. But people became unaware of its long term effect as deterioration of soil fertility, pests becoming resistance to its effect, decrease of plant and animal diversity, and most important is it environment unfriendly. Hence, they continued using it in excess till now due to which there are so many negative impacts on agriculture system. Hence, it is already time to make aware the farmers about sustainable agriculture and the proper use of chemical pesticides. The knowledge of integrated pest management (IPM) and organic agriculture (OA) can contribute in decreasing the use of chemical pesticides.

Since Nepal had diverse climate, it favors for diversity of crops. It is found that Nepal supports number of herbs which have high medicinal values. Nepalese farmers can take huge advantage and improve their livelihood by cultivating these medicinal herbs. Beside improving economic sector Nepalese can even improve their health and cure most diseases at low cost. Some of them are already known about their efficacy but most of them are limited only to the voice of local. Hence, scientific research on these herbs will contribute on revolution of the Nepali people/Nepali farmers.

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a comprehensive and environmentally approach of pests management. It does not rely on specific method instead relies on broad range of methods. It is different from conventional agriculture because it includes all the possible, feasible and less risky approaches like physical, biological, cultural methods. However, it does not completely avoid the use of chemicals also but as it is rather integrated it helps a lot in reducing the use of chemicals. This also differentiate it from organic agriculture (OA). In OA all the approaches of IPM are used except chemicals.

In Nepal, the farmers should be made aware about IPM and OA in order to improve the health of agriculture field, quality of the product, health of farmer, consumer and environment. Different research had shown that Nepalese farmers are unaware of IPM. And they are using the chemicals inappropriately. They are not concern of both quality and quantity. Providing training, seminars for the farmers will contribute on this sector. The most feasible and low cost approaches should be provided to the Nepali farmers. This will help in motivating them. The approaches like using compost, mixed cropping, trapping, mechanical collection, hand weeding, increasing diversity of the plant and animal in the field, attracting birds to feed on insects, promoting natural enemies, using green manure, planting insect repellent herbs as Marygold, Corriander, etc. can be attractive to them. In developed country, there is another new, advanced and effective mode of approach called Induced Resistance (IR) for some diseases like late blight. However, in Nepal this method is still in infancy. However, knowingly or unknowing, farmers will be practicing it. Because the use of compost, increasing fertility of soil via natural substances may also work via IR.

Such concept and knowledge to the farmers will contribute to the whole country. The most important is it is environmentally friendly. And since most of the women are involved in agriculture, this is truly contribute in improving the livelihood of women.

Herbs with medicinal value were being used from very early ages. However, the vast development in science and technology made it under shade. But again more and more people are attracted towards the medicinal properties of herbs. The most important characteristics of the herbs are it do not have negative side effects. And patient can use it as a medicine and healthy person can use it to immune the system and avoid the future diseases. Nepal supports so many numbers of medicinal herbs but due to lack of appropriate and scientific knowledge the Nepalese people are not able to commercialize it. The people of the world are limited from its benefits. Hence, if appropriate research are made on these herbs the people of the world will be benefited.