On-farm IPM of chickpea in Nepal Proceedings of the International Workshop on Planning and Implementation of On-farm Chickpea IPM in Nepal

Chickpea is a traditional crop, and is an important component in the daily diet of the Nepalese. It is one of the major grain legume crops grown as a sole or mixed crop in the rice- and maize-based cropping systems in Nepal. Area under chickpea has shown a decreasing trend for the last two decades, as a result of increasing incidence of diseases (botrytis gray mold) and insects (pod borer). Additionally abiotic constraints have also been identified, causing low and unstable yields at the national level. Consequences of decreased chickpea cultivation in Nepal include reduced opportunities for ameliorative effects of legumes on cropping system and sustainability, and decreased local accessibility of chickpea as a nutritious dietary component, particularly for poor sections of the community. Scientists from Nepal Agricultural Research Council (NARC), International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Natural Resources Institute (NRI), non-governmental organizations, and farmers (women and men) participated in the meeting. The present status of various components of on-farm integrated pest management (IPM) in Nepal were discussed and accounts of current research on IPM in different institutions were presented. Good progress has been made and prospects of continued collaborative research and development on IPM are encouraging. Site specific work plans and role of partners with the funding for the period of three years (2000–03) from the Crop Protection Programme (CPP) of the Department for International Development (DFID), UK were finalized. High priority was given to participatory on-farm validation and scale-up of the available components of IPM of botrytis gray mold and pod borer and their integration with other improved agronomical practices for sustainable chickpea production in Nepal