Intensification of cropping patterns and labor use in Sankhu village, central Nepal
2002
Manandhar, A. (Hokkaido Univ., Sapporo (Japan)) | Osanami, F. | Kondo, T.
Agriculture forms the foundation of Nepal's economy by contributing about 40 percent to the G.DP, and 80 percent to employment (HMG, 1998). However, the statistics also show a food deficit almost every year since 1991. Crop intensification serves as one alternative to increase food self-sufficiency. Farmers are switching from the traditional double crop paddy-wheat cultivation to the modern triple crop farming including two cash crops and paddy cultivation. This paper analyzes the labor force used on an intensified farm within the Sankhu village, located within the Kathmandu Valley, based on the daily records kept over two years. It was made clear that crop intensification demands a significantly larger labor force, which is a problem as both younger people and women from sub-urban areas are turning away from agriculture. This situation provides an opportunity for people living outside the region to work as hired labor, which accounts for half of the total labor used over the year. Women also played an important role in crop production as they contributed 61 percent of the total hired labor; performing the important activities of transplantation, weeding and harvesting. The study also showed that intensification of crops utilized the family labor force more efficiently as well as providing an opportunity for hired labor during peak seasons.
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