Common practices in Indigenous Traditional practices in Nepalese farming system

A) Local animal breed with special characteristics :

a) Poultry :- Shakini , Ghanti khuile , Pwankh Ulte (Dumse)

b) Cattle:- Lulu , Aashami , Yak

c) Bufflao:- Lime, Parkote ,  Gaddi

d) Goat:- Changriya , Khari

e) Pig:- Hurrah , Chwanche , Bampudke

B) Preparation of land :-

a) Use of indigenous plough: reduces soil compaction and eco-friendly

b) Use of indigenous planking equipments

c) Puddling: kills weeds, soil inhibiting pests and pathogens

C) Preparation of seed for planting :-

a) Seed selection by floatation method

b) Seed priming with water

c) Seed incubation

d) Seed coating: Coating seed with protective materials like mud, ash, cattle dung,manure to protect against pest and drought

e) Seed pelleting: of smaller and irregular seeds for ease of sow

D) Planting techniques :-

a) Sowing behind the local plough (kera method)

b) Dibbling: legumes in bund, wide spacing crops like maize, vegetables

c) Ghaiya dhan (Dry DSR under upland condition in hill farming system)

d) Surface seedling of lentil and wheat under lowland condition

e) Planting on ridges and furrow under drought and flooding condition

f) Higher seed rate than recommended rate of food crops to cope with the risk of future draught

g) Higher seed rate than recommended rate of maize crop in

h) Maize-Livestock farming system for fodder (45 kg per ha)

E) Farming and cropping system :

A) Farming system

• Agroforestry system
• Agrosilvi pastoral system
• Crop-Livestock-Forestry farming system
• Diversified farming system

B) Cropping system

• Crop rotation: to fulfill balanced diet of family and soil nitrogen balance
• Multiple cropping: mixed, inter, relay and multi storey cropping
• Bund planting: Planting grain legume crops in bund of rice terraces

F) Nutrient management :

a) Penning of livestock in the crop field during fallow period

b) Ex-situ green maturing: Collection of forest litter and incorporation in crop field

c) Use of forest black soil

d) Mulching field with litters and crop residue

e) Bund planting of legumes in rice field

f) Inclusion of legumes in cropping pattern and crop rotation

g) Use of flood water for fertigation

h) Application of FYM during summer season

H) Pest management:

A) Weed management :-

a) Slicing of bunds and terrace raisers

b) Hand weeding and retention of weeds in field

c) Flooding of rice field to suppress the growth weeds

d) Firing the crop residues before sowing

e) Mixed cropping and intercropping to utilize the inter row space

f) Use of wooden rake called ‘dante’

B) Pest and disease management

a) Control of storage pest by use of herbs like neem, bhojo, titepati, marigold

b) Summer tillage followed by certain duration of fallow

c) Foliar spray of cow urine, milk, liquid nutrients (jholmol) in garden crop

d) Dusting of ash to control aphids and fungal diseases in garden crops

e) Planting repellant crops on border of field, e.g., mustard on border of wheat field, coriander on border of cole crop field

f) Mixed and intercropping, planting trap crop

g) Agro-biodiversity to minimize invasion of pest and diseases in farm

h) Use of Scare crow and animal skull to scare birds and animals

i) Use of mask for livestock (mukhauri, malaha)

I) Intercultural operations :

a) Earthing up

b) Leaf streaping

c) Thinning and gap filling

J) Harvesting :

a) Reaping of rice, wheat and barley at base of stem by sickles

b) Reaping of ear heads of millets

c) Uprooting of grain legumes and oil seed crops

d) Picking of pods of pulses and cobs of maize

e) Gathering and Foraging of wild edible plants

K) Drying :

a) Field drying of crops before harvesting

b) Field drying of crops after harvesting

c) Drying on threshing floor

d) Drying on roof top

e) Hanging of maize and pulses

K) Threshing:

a) Trampling of bullocks

b) Beating on hard materials

c) Beating by sticks

L) Cleaning:

a) Winnowing by natural air

b) Winnowing by forced air

M) Indigenous milling structures:

a) Grinding of cereals like wheat, barley, maize, millet, etc by water mill (Ghatta)

b) Splitting of pulses by stone grinder (jhato)

c) Hulling of rice, barley by dhiki