irri-ifad project tag 706 upland newsletter vol. 1 no. 2

We were pleased to received very positive feedback on the first issue of d.v.d. which was published in May 2008. We are especially thankful to Mr Thomas Elhaut, Director of Asia Pacific Division of IFAD, for a very encouraging response which is reproduced below “Thank you very much for this new Newsletter. An interesting presentation of the programme objectives, short descriptions of the linkage projects, succinct descriptions of validated technologies in each country and quite a list

of events under the programme. Also a useful contact list. It is good to see the smiling faces of people involved, including our Coordinators.

D.V.D.: develop, validate, deliver. A witty reminder of what development is about.

Congratulations, and keep me posted.

Kind Regards,

Thomas Elhaut”

TRAININGS AND FIELD DAYS NEPAL, 1, 3, 4 VIETNAM, 2, 5 LAOS, 2, 4 INDIA, 3, 8

VALIDATED TECHNOLOGIES NEPAL, 5, 6, 7,12 INDIA, 8, 9 VIETNAM, 10 LAOS, 11, 13, 14

OTHER ACTIVITIES, 11

Inside this issue:

May –September 2008

An official publication

of the IRRI-IFAD Project

Volume 1 Issue 2

IAAS Sundarbazar, Nepal, organizes farmer rice seed producer training

A one-day rice seed production training was especially organ-ized for the farmers participating in the village-based rice seed production initiative of the project. The training took place on 24 May 2008 at IAAS Sundarbazar, Lamjung Campus. Altogether, 20 seed-producer farmers (6 females and 14 males) from five villages participated. The training particularly covered the principles and theory of rice seed production, techniques of site selection, isolation tion require-ments, quality seed sources, improved management practices, roguing operations, pest and disease control, harvesting, seed processing, seed certification, and and seed storage. Handouts in Nepali language were also provided to the participating farmers. The training was given by Assistant Professors Mr. B.K. Bhattachan (seed technology) and Mr. B.B. Adhikari (agronomy) of IAAS Sundarbazar.

Message from the Coordinator

This second issue follows the same approach and provides highlights of key technologies validated, training conducted and other general activities of the project during 2008. I would like to solicit your comments to this issue and contribution to future issues of the newsletter. Thanks to Dr. Hari Gurung, technical editor, Ms. Gina Zarsadias, graphic designer, and Bill Hardy, English editor for their contributions. — Sushil Pandey

TAG 706 successfully organized a cross-country visit program for the research staff members of the colla-borating institutions. The primary objective of this visit program was to enable the project collaborators to learn from each other through cross-fertilization of ideas.

The cross-country visit was accomplished in two stages. The first stage of the program consisted of six researchers from NAFReC of Lao PDR and NOMAFSI and Thai Nguyen University of Economics and Business Administration (TUEBA) of Vietnam visiting Nepal from 2 to 8 September 2008. The second stage of the program consisted of 10 researchers from National Rice Research Program (NRRP) and IAAS of Nepal and ICAR NEH and AAU of India visiting Laos and Vietnam from 22 to 28 September 2008. The Lao and Vietnamese researchers visited the IAAS and the various commodity research programs and disciplinary divisions (National Maize Research Program or NMRP, National Grain Legume Research Program or NGLRP, NRRP, and Agronomy Division) of Nepal Agricultural Research Council (NARC). The Lao and Vietnamese visitors also visited the village research and dissemination sites and interacted with farmers first-hand. Similarly, Indian and Nepalese researchers visited the NAFReC and NOMAFSI research laboratories and their on-station and on-farm field research sites.

During the visit to Nepal, the Lao and Vietnamese participants were particularly impressed with the exclusive use of farmer groups for project research activity planning and implementation at field research sites, farmer-group-based seed multiplication and dissemination, off-season vegetable growing for cash, and growing legumes in paddy bunds for land-use maximization. During the visit to Laos and Vietnam, the Nepalese and Indian participants were impressed with the inclusion of local upland rice varieties in farmer participatory variety screening and selection, small farmers growing coffee and tea on the sloping uplands for cash, integrated nutrient management in rice growing on sloping uplands, an upland rice–stylo intercropping, and the introduction of soybean and peanut on sloping uplands.

Cross-country visits accomplished

TAG 706 representatives participate in IFAD Vietnam Country Portfolio Review Meeting at Thien Cam, Ha Tinh

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Mr. Ha Dinh Tuan, Deputy Director Genral of Northern Mountainous Agricul-

ture and Forestry Science Institute (NOMAFSI), and Dr. Hari Gurung, IRRI,

represented Technical Assistance Grant (TAG) 706 at the International Fund

for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Vietnam Country Portfolio Review

Meeting held on 28-30 July 2008 at Thien Cam, Ha Tinh. Mr. Tuan

presented TAG 706 research activities and the technologies generated

through its farmer participatory research program, in the past three years,

to the IFAD investment project representatives attending the meeting. TAG

706 also displayed its research and knowledge products at a knowledge fair

(left photo). Officials from Ha Giang, Tuyen Quang, Quang Binh, and Bac

Can provinces showed their interest in the technologies related to

agro-forestry, sustainable plantations in sloping uplands, and crops such as

rice, maize, and others.

Indian and Nepalese visitors at Silalek field research site and with NOMAFSI and IRRI staff members at PhuTho, Vietnam (left and middle photos) and Lao and Vietnamese participants observing rainfed rice research plot and interacting with participating farmer and Nepalese collaborators (right).

The Indian Council of Agri-cultural Research complex for the Northeastern Hills (ICAR NEH) organized a farmer field day at the Kyrdemkulai research site on 5 September 2008 with the theme “Managing up-lands in the hills.” Some 102 farmers (61 females and 41 males) from Kyrdemkulai and five surrounding villages, two state government officials, two IFAD representatives, 10 farmers from IFAD-funded investment project villages in Meghalaya, and six ICAR NEH scientists participated in the field day.

Farmers visited the project field research site at Kyrdemkulai and observed the farming model devel-oped to manage soil and water conservation in sloping uplands; research plots of various crops such as turmeric, ginger, upland rice, soybean, and ground-

nut; and an intercrop of upland rice with soybean and groundnut, among others. The farmers also received explanations about the use of different crops in the soil and water conservation model, the rationale behind the growing of crops across slopes, and the inclusion of legumes in a rice-based cropping system for crop and natural resource management. The farm-ers, extension personnel, and ICAR NEH scientists then held an interactive discussion on soil and wa-ter conservation tech-niques, crop production, legume intercropping, and crop insect pests and diseases, among other topics. Simultaneously, a training demonstration on integrated weed manage-ment in upland crops, especially rice, was also conducted for the benefit of the visiting farmers.

A farmer field day organized in Kyrdemkulai by ICAR NEH, Meghalaya, India

IAAS Sundarbazar, Nepal, organized refresher training for collaborating agricultural extension workers

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The Institute of Agriculture and Animal Science or IAAS organized a two-day (17-18 May 2008) refresher training for eight agricultural extension workers from three district agricultural development offices of Lamjung, Tanahun, and Gorkha. The extension workers have been assisting the project in the implementation of verification trials and technology dissemi-nation. The training program emphasized field layout techniques for crop research, trial management techniques, techniques for rice seed production, and con-trol of important insect pests and diseases. Participants were also given knowledge products such as handouts and leaflets about improved packages of practices for different rice varieties, improved seed production tech-niques for rice, and crop plant protection measures. The training was given by Assistant Professors Mr. B.B. Adhikari, Mr. K.C. Dahal, and Mr. H.K. Panta of IAAS Sundarbazar, Lamjung.

Farmer field day participants observing the field research trials

and interacting with the iCAR NEH scientists

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Three village-level farmer training programs were organized by IAAS Sundarbazar, Lamjung, Nepal, on 18, 19, and 20 June 2008 at Purkot, Bhansar, and Palungtar villages, respectively. A total of 94 farmers (48 males and 46 females) from five villages participated. The training covered the following topics: improved cultivation practices of upland and lowland rice, off-season winter vegetable nursery techniques, marketing of cucurbits, farm record-keeping and its importance, seed production of lowland and upland rice, and crop protection measures. Assistant Professors Mr. B.B. Adhikari (agronomy), K.C. Dahal (horticulture), and H.K. Panta (socioeconomics) of IAAS Sundarbazar, Lamjung, served as resource persons for the training programs.

IAAS Sundarbazar, Nepal, organizes three village-level farmer training programs

A two-day training titled “Economic assessment of on-farm trials for generating farmer recommendations” for 20 Northern Agricultural and Forestry Research Center (NAFReC) research staff members was held at NAFReC, Luang Prabang, Lao PDR, on 28-29 July 2008. The primary objective was to enable NAFReC staff to use basic economic tools to assess the treatments (competing varieties and practices/technologies) used in on-farm and on-station esearch. The participants were introduced to the theory and principles of partial budget analysis and to the concept of costs (fixed, variable, and opportunity), benefits (gross, net, and incremental), marginal analysis, sensitivity analysis, and recommendation domain, among others. The training was designed and given by Dr. Damien Jourdain, IRRI agricultural economist seconded from Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (CIRAD).

Training on “Economic assessment of on-farm trials for generating farmer recommendations” conducted for NAFReC researchers in Lao PDR

Rambaran Yadav

Farmer participatory research identified rice variety Hardinath-1 as suitable for growing in the Churia Hills region of Nepal. This variety yielded 2.5 to 4 t/ha depending on land type and growing conditions. It has become popular among farmers at the test sites because of its early maturity, which allows growing a second crop in the uplands, higher yield relative to local checks, and good eating quality.

The project has distributed approximately 375 kg of Hardinath-1 seeds to farmers in seven districts (Sirha, Dhanusha, Mahottari, Sarlahi, Rautahat, Bara, and Parsa). The project has selected 20 farmers in two villages for village-based farmer participatory seed production of Hardinath-1 under the supervision of NRRP. Farmers are being trained on scientific and quality seed production. With these supporting activties, it is expected that Hardinath-1 will obtain additional impetus for wider dissemination in similar rice-growing environments in adjoining areas and districts in 2009.

Hardinath-1: an early-maturing rice variety for the Churia Hills, Nepal

Mrs. Bishnu Maya Thapa of Bhapasi says, “I was growing traditional rice varieties earlier. But now I have planted Hardinath-1 in my rice fields because of its high yield, good eating quality, and drought tolerance.” Mr. Rajan Ghimire from Bhapasi says, “Hardinath-1 is very good for resource-poor farmers because it can be grown in diverse rice-growing conditions and with low inputs of fertilizer and chemicals.” Mr. Dava Dorje of Bhapasi says, “I see two advantages of Hardinath-1 because of its early maturity. First, it is able to escape drought. Second, it enables me to grow a second crop after rice. It is suitable for the rice-vegetable cropping pattern. I can sell the vegetable in a nearby market for cash.” Mr. Ram Bahadur Bhujel of Patu says that he likes Hardinath-1 “because it can be grown in both upland and irri-gated conditions.” And, Mr. Suk Bahadur Majhi of Bhapasi reveals that “Hardinath-1 is good for unbunded rainfed uplands because it has the ability to tolerate drought during the heading stage and produce grains while other varieties fail.”

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A training on economic analysis of field data was conducted on 9-10 May 2008 at NOMAFSI, Phu Tho, Vietnam. Thirteen staff members of NOMAFSI partici-pated in the training conducted by Drs. Damien Jourdain of IRRI and Do Anh Tai of TUEBA.

Why is Hardinath-1 popular among farmers in Bhapasi and Patu villages?

NOMAFSI crop scientists trained on partial budget analysis

A proud farmer in his uniformly panicle-laden Hardinath-1 rice variety demonstration field in Laxmibas village, Nepal

Bishnu Bilash Adhikari

Radha-4 is an improved rice variety that has consistently outperformed local checks in farmer participatory trials. It is becoming increasingly popular among farmers in Sundarbazar and adjoining villages in Lamjung District and adjoining hill districts Gorkha and Tanahun primarily because of its high yield (4.9 t/ha) and relatively stable crop performance.

The number of farmers growing the variety and the area under it are increasing progressively through farmer-to-farmer seed exchange. The number of farmers growing Radha-4 by directly acquiring seeds from the project in Sundarbazar and adjoining areas has grown sixfold, with about ninefold growth in the quantity of seeds used (see Fig. 1). The project is collaborat-ing with the government extension agencies in Lamjung, Gorkha, and Tanahun districts in operating a network of six dissemination villages for wider dissemination of project-validated crop varieties and technologies. The project has also supported two village-based farmer seed producer groups and trained farmers and extension agents to enhance the dissemi-nation of validated technologies.

Radha-4: a rice variety for upland paddies in the middle hills of Nepal

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Seedling broadcasting: a potential labor-saving technology for establishing transplanted rice

Rambaran Yadav

Seedling broadcasting is a labor-saving method of rice establishment relative to transplanting traditionally practiced by Nepalese farmers. A farmer field day and farmer exposure visits were organized in 2007 to familiarize farmers with the seedling broadcasting technique. A rapid follow-up monitoring indicated that approximately 60 farmers adopted the technique in 2008. The farmers who have tried this technique predict that it will become popular among farmers who face labor shortages during rice transplanting.

Fig 1: Number of farmers and quantity of Radha-4 seed accessed by farmers from IAAS.

A farmer from Sundarbazar village, Nepal in his near-harvest Radha-4 rice crop

Hari K. Shrestha

Adoption of rice-based technologies in the Churia Hills of Nepal

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A sample household survey and group interviews were conducted in June 2008 at research sites to study the adoption of tested improved agricultural technologies. The results indicate that, over time, more farmers are growing improved rice varieties validated and disseminated by the project (Table 1). Farmers who are growing these varieties have higher rice yields (Fig. 1).

Besides the adoption of improved rice varieties, farmers have also partially adopted other rice-system-based technologies such as lentils, chickpeas, rice seedling broadcasting, and improved weed management methods (Table 2). Farmers have also started to intercrop peanut, cowpea, and maize with upland rice. Farmers prefer to intercrop these crops because they are able to sell them for cash and also meet the family food requirement. The project, in its final year, is collaborating with eight district agricultural development offices for wider dissemination of these technologies in the region.

Fig 1. Changes in upland and lowland rice yields.

Table 1. Progression in improved rice variety

Table 2. Progression in management technology

U.C. Kalita, J.K. Dey, R.K. Sarma, K.D. Singh, P.K. Kakaty, and P.C. Bhagawati

Inglongkiri, an upland rice variety developed by Assam Agricultural University (AAU), has consistently outper-formed local checks in farmer participatory research (FPR) trials in the past three years. It produced a mean grain yield of 2 t/ha under farmer conditions with no external inputs compared with traditional upland rice varieties, which on average produced 1.2 t/ha of grain. The higher yield of Inglongkiri under a traditional production regime makes it a perfect varietal choice for farmers. Its higher yield translates into a 65% increase in grain yield and an incremental return of US$116 per hectare over traditional varieties. Farmers primarily like Inglongkiri because of its higher productivity under low-input conditions and shorter growth period that has enabled farmers to grow a second crop (blackgram, greengram, and mustard) on the same plot of land, suc-ceeding upland rice.

Inglongkiri has become popular among the farmers who tested it and the farmers who saw its performance dur-ing farmer field days or in their neighbors’ fields. Partici-pating farmers saved some three quintals of Inglongkiri

seed from their 2007 harvest to grow in 2008. The variety has also spread to neighboring farmers and relatives of the par-ticipating farmers through farmer-to-farmer seed dissemination. For fast scaling out, the project has started a Farmer participatory seed production scheme and has trained farmers on scientific seed production for quality seeds. The area under this variety is likely to expand rapidly as a result of these activities initiated by the project.

Village level farmer training,

nepalrice varieties, JR2, JR5,

and JR6, and two upland rice

varieties, Inglongkiri and

Rongkhang, were selected for

seed multiplication. A total of

50 farmers from nine villages

are participating in seed produc-

tion of five rice varieties on 6 ha

of land. Approximately 21 tons

of rice seeds of these varieties

will be produced. These seeds

will be sold to district extension

agencies and nongovernment

organizations working in Karbi

For rapid scaling out of improved

varieties, a farmer participatory rice

seed multiplication program was

established in 2008. Three lowland

Inglongkiri: the upland rice variety of choice for higher yield and improved crop rotation for Karbi Anglong, Assam, India

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RARS Diphu, AAU, India, initiates farmer participatory seed multiplication

Dr. Bhagawati lecturing farmers on scientific rice

seed production

Anglong District for wider

dissemination.

The project researchers

trained some 42 farmers on

scientific rice seed production

and provided on-the-spot

advice to seed producers.

K.D. Singh, J.K. Dey, U.C. Kalita, R.K. Sarma, P.K. Kakaty, and P.C. Bhagawati

The introduction of the short-duration (100–110 days) upland rice variety Inglongkiri enables farmers to grow a second crop after rice, thus increasing total production from the same piece of land that is traditionally cropped only once per year.

Regional Agricultural Research Station (RARS) Diphu of Assam Agricultural University has carried out farmer participatory research on two crop rotations, upland rice–blackgram (KU301) and upland rice–toria (TS38). The research has shown that, because of the short duration of upland rice variety Inglongkiri, farmers have 15–20 days for land preparation for a second crop. Farmers use blackgram grains to cook soup-like dal to eat with rice. Similarly, farmer participatory research has shown that the improved toria variety grown as part of a rice-toria rotation has a higher average grain yield (0.68 t/ha) and oil content (48%) than traditional varieties (grain yield, 0.46 t/ha; oil content, 38%).

Farmer participatory research has shown that the two crop rotations with improved crop varieties give a higher rice equivalent yield than a monocrop of traditional upland rice. The upland rice–toria sequence

seed production of Shahsarang on 2.5 hec-tares under the technical supervision of ICAR NEH. The program will produce about 10 tons of quality seeds.

Growing rice and tomato can augment both farm house-hold food security and cash income, thus helping to alleviate poverty. With this objective in mind, two improved paddy rice varieties, Shahsarang and Lumpnah, and three improved tomato varieties, Rocky, Avinash, and Chiranjeevi, were evaluated in farmer participatory trials.

The two rice varieties, Shahsarang (3.8 t/ha) and Lumpnah (3.7 t/ha), outyielded the local check (2.9 t/ha). Average net return from the tomato crop was $3,546/ha. Rice and tomato produced a total net return of $3,841/ha.

Farmers with good access to markets and fields close to roads have now started to grow tomatoes. The rice variety Shahsarang is also spreading. To facilitate dissemination, the project has started village-based

Improved crop rotation for marginal uplands in Karbi Anglong, Assam, India

Rice-tomato: a potential cash-generating crop rotation for Meghalaya, India

Anil K. Tripathi and A. Pattanayak

Tomatoes grown on raised beds to protect tomato plants

from water log in foothill paddies.

(To page 13)

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Toria variety TS38 in bloom

Blackgram variety KU301

Spring rice varieties for the northern mountainous region of Vietnam

Farmer participatory research identified seven lowland rice varieties suitable for the spring season planting in upland paddies in northern Vietnam. Besides the spring season, these rice varieties can also be grown as a main-season rice crop.

Of the seven varieties, the project produced seeds of four inbred varieties (N46, BT13, T10, and Chiem Huong) in 3.75 ha of land in four northern provinces (Yen Bai, Bac Kan, Ha Giang, and Phu Tho). The seeds were distributed either directly or in collaboration with district and provincial exten-sion agencies, with a dual objective of variety demonstration and seed production for wider dissemi-nation. NOMAFSI performed technical supervision of the seed production and trained farmers and extension workers on-site during supervision and monitoring trips. Approximately 18 tons of seed have been produced. This seed will be used for wider dissemination of varieties in 2009.

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Table 1. Spring rice seed production by province and variety.

Ha Dinh Tuan

Connecting smallholder farmers to markets in northern Laos

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Farmers in upland areas are now increasingly becoming market-oriented for earning cash incomes. A rapid marketing appraisal study was conducted during April-May 2008 to map the supply chain of ma-jor marketed crops and to identify major marketing constraints.

Results show that market access has widened in the last decade. Market widening is primarily confined to the export of agricultural products to neighboring countries, China, Thailand, and Vietnam. But the domestic market is still very thin and small. While rice, vegetables, and animals are sold in the domestic market, other commodities are primarily sold in the international market. The major cash crops for international markets are maize, sesame, Job’s tear, paper mulberry, sticklac, rubber, and bamboo shoots.

Farmers sell their products directly in rural markets or at road heads to consumers, or sell to market intermediaries such as collectors (local or outside), wholesalers, retailers, and companies. The size of the market is not a constraint for selling the current amounts of farm surpluses or production. But prices are usually low and unpredictable. Collection and transportation costs accounted for the major share of the marketing margin. Overall, improvements in marketing institutions and infrastructure are needed to better connect small farmers with markets and raise their incomes.

Thongsavanh Keonakhone and Humnath Bhandari

Farmer participatory research has shown the suitability of an improved rice variety, IR554355, under unbunded upland conditions of the middle hills of western Nepal. The variety consistently outperformed existing popular local varieties. Its strong and nonlodging plant type, high tillering ability, big and long panicles, high number of filled grains, good milling percentage (68–70%), higher yield (3.6t/ha) , and palatable straw for large ruminants are the traits liked by farmers. Farmers reported that, because of its erect flag leaf, bird damage during maturity is less than that of local varieties, which have a drooping flag leaf.

IR55435-5: a promising upland rice variety for the middle hills of western Nepal

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Bishnu Bilash Adhikari

This variety is becoming increasingly popular among farmers and has spread to several villages in three important upland rice-growing districts, Gorkha, Tanahun, and Lamjung. This is indicated by the increasing quantity of seeds obtained by farmers from the project and the increasing number of famers growing this variety (see Fig. 1).

In response to the increasing demand for IR55435-5 and seeds of other improved varieties, the project has helped enterprising farmers to organize them-selves into a seed production and marketing group. Sundar Seed Producer Group and Purkot Seed Producer Group are the two group-based seed busi-ness enterprises started by farmers of Sundarbazar and Purkot villages in 2007 and 2008, respectively. The project is assisting the seed producer and marketing groups with information on group forma-tion, technical advice, training on scientific seed production, technical monitoring and supervision of seed production plots, and dissemination of seeds. This village-based seed production is facilitating wider dissemination of farmer-preferred varieties. In addition, the project is collaborating with the government extension agencies in Lamjung, Gorkha, and Tanahun districts in operating a network of villages for wider dissemination of project-validated crop varieties and technologies.

Fig 1. Number of farmers and quantity of IR-55435-5 seed

accessed by farmers from IAAS by year

Farmers grow upland rice cultivar Makhinsoung in Laos

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In the rainy season of 2007, several best-bet upland rice cultivars were introduced by the project in Silalek Village, Xiengngeun District, Luang Prabang Province, Lao PDR. Mr. Thongvan (deputy village head, Banh Silalek) received 5 kg of cultivar Makhinsoung, which he sowed in a 20 × 15-m plot. Makhinsoung is a landrace grown in some upland areas of Laos, but farmers in Silalek did not have its seeds.

Benjamin Samson and Khamdok Songyikhangsuthor

gave the highest rice equivalent yield, followed by upland rice–blackgram (Fig. 1). The net incremental return from rice-toria and rice-blackgram sequences over a rice monocrop was $238 and $190 per hectare, respectively.

Participating farmers have reported that their neighbors, neighboring-village farmers, and relatives have voluntarily taken seeds of these crop varieties for growing and testing them on their own.

Improved crop rotation….from page 9

Fig 1. Rice equivalent yields for the crop sequences

Mr. Thongvan harvested some 165 kg of paddy—substantially more production than his own cultivar Khao Seulay—from the 5 kg of Makhinsoung seed. Mr. Thongvan and his family found that Makhinsoung was good to eat. They liked the long panicles and large grains. Mr. Thongvan saved 20 kg of this harvest as seed and sowed it on 0.2 hectares in 2008.

Mr. Thongvan’s success with Makhinsoung did not go unnoticed among his extended family members and within his community. At least five households have asked Mr. Thongvan for Makhinsoung seed this year for sowing in 2009. Most of the people who requested seeds from him were relatives and friends who visited his fields or people with whom he shared his farming experiences on a regular basis. Mr. Thongvan has requested the households to which he gave Makhinsoung seeds to replace these seeds from their harvest in 2009.

Rehabilitation of Imperata cylindrica–infested land in northern Laos

Imperata cylindrica is an economically important perennial weed in the sloping uplands of Laos. Alterna-tive methods of controlling Imperata were evaluated in 2006 and 2007 through a combination of on-station and farmers’ field trials. The most effective method for rehabilitating land infested with Imper-ata was found to be a combination of cover crop (pigeonpea) and herbicide application. The cover crop pigeonpea can also be used to raise sticklac for producing a resin that has a high market demand. Upland rice + glyphosate spray + pigeonpea-sticklac is a potential new alternative for Imperata suppression and cash generation. Wider dissemination of the practice to Imperata-infested areas and the impact on upland productivity, sustainability, and farmer livelihoods are areas for future research.

Khamdok Songyikhangsuthor, Benjamin Samson, and David Johnson

Imperata bloom Imperata counting Rice + Pigeonpea intercrop

Sticlac growing on pigeonpea trunk Sticlac Sticlac harvest

d.v.d. is the official newsletter of the IFAD-IRRI project TAG 706. The name d.v.d. is derived from the basic objective of the project—to develop, validate, and deliver agricultural

technologies to upland farming households for improving liveli-hood, food security, and environmental sustainability through rice landscape management. The objective of the newsletter is to share and publicize our work, nationally and internationally. The technical editor of this e-newsletter is Dr. Hari Gurung and the liaison person and graphic designer is Ms. Gina E. Zarsadias. We encourage our TAG 706 partners to submit articles and interesting stories for future issues to Ms. Zarsadias([email protected]).

Editorial and Production Team Sushil Pandey, Hari Gurung, Bill Hardy, and Gina E. Zarsadias Contributing Authors: Bishnu Bilash Adhikari, P.C. Bhagawati, Humnath Bhandari, J.K. Dey, David Johnson, U.C. Kalita, P . K . K a k a t y , T h o n g s a v a n h K e o n a k h o n e , A. Pattanayak, Benjamin Samson, R. K. Sarma, Hari K. Shrestha, K.D. Singh, Khamdok Songyikhang-suthor, Anil K. Tripathi, and Rambaran Yadav For details, please contact Dr. Sushil Pandey ([email protected])

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