Forage Arachis in Nepal: A Simple Success

Nepali farming systems are remarkably diverse. Livestock play a central role in livelihoods and sustainable farming on most farms. There is a need for productive forage legumes that can fit existing farming patterns and that can be multiplied easily. A wide array of genetic material has been introduced recently into the cropping, cut-and-carry, grazing, and forestry systems, mainly in the Terai (Ganges Plain) and in the mid-hills to about 2km ASL. In 1999/2000, 8 lines of Arachis pintoi were introduced from CIAT, and additional A. pintoi and A. glabrata lines from Queensland. The introduced arachis was established on a small number of permanent sites to enable close observation, crossing and continual selection, and a reliable long-term supply of planting material. Concurrently, small samples were provided to a large number of smallholder farmers (\u3e1000 in the first season alone) over a very diverse agro-ecological range, for evaluation, local demonstration, and the supply of planting material within the community. The programme has been based entirely on vegetative material since 2000. Most arachis establishment has been in intensive smallholder systems, involving cover cropping, mixed planting with productive grasses in back-yard areas, and establishment on terrace risers. There also have been trial plantings in ley systems and on communal land, including land-slips/slides and roadside cuttings