Indigenous Knowledge on Storage Pest Management in Nepal: Implications for Integrated Pest Management

Background
Women constitute more than 50 percent of the population in Nepal. About 96 percent of them are directly engaged in subsistence agriculture and bear the burden of the daily farming activities. Pest attack in storage is one of several constraints of higher sustainable production. Since post-harvest activities remain primarily women's domain, women hold vast array of indigenous knowledge on grain storage. Recent upsurge in male migration for off-farm jobs over extended period has resulted in women becoming de facto household head. In contrast to their pivotal role in agriculture, their expertise remains widely undervalued, and neglected in development efforts. Women rarely participate in research and development projects. Their participation is primarily limited because of only male agricultural extensionists that further restrict access to information, technology and training.

In studying indigenous knowledge one needs to bear in mind that knowledge and information, both local and Western, is not preserved and transferred in isolation. Its access is tied to membership and participation in various groups. Within a Nepalese village community, women farmers are by no means a homogenous group but parted in ethnic groups, segmented by hierarchical caste system and gender division within household.

Objective
Apart from investigating technical aspects of storage pest management in the Mid hills of Nepal the project aims to generate knowledge on the gender roles, ethnicity, caste and culture in pest management. The documentation of local knowledge, practices and technologies will provide a foundation to build up future IPM programs and extension.

By emphasising the role of gender, this project will provide women an unique opportunity to test and evaluate their own practices. This will not only create awareness of the value of indigenous knowledge but also instil self-confidence, hence, empowering them towards self-determination.

From Lab to Farmer's Field
As women play an important role in hill farming systems they need to be more involved in research, extension and the development of appropriate technologies. Instead of transferring scientific results from the laboratory to the field, research itself should be shifted, enabling farmers to analyse their situation and generate feasible solutions. This process would not only allow farmers to contribute towards technology development but also empower them through validating and recognising their knowledge and practices by modern system.

During the first year, the attention of this study is directed to five villages in the Mid hills to gain general knowledge. According to farmers' priorities, few topics will be selected for further investigation in one or two villages and studied using selected tools of Participatory Action Research.

Methodology
Quantitative loss assessment in stored products, sampling, Participatory Rural Appraisals, participant observation, free-listings of insects, gender-analysed ethno-entomological categorisation and nomenclature, triad tests, key-informant and group interviews, literature review, Participatory Action Research.

Results
Beside tangible results such as (1) the doctoral thesis covering technical and social aspects of storage management (analysed by gender, ethnicity, social status and age) and (2) an inventory of local insect names, this project will facilitate empowerment and contribute to local capacity building through collaboration. The results are meant to contribute to the adjustment of IPM Programs to the Nepalese context.

Data gathered during the study will be compiled and made available to local farming families in the village (in Nepali).

Collaboration
The PhD project is anchored at the Geobotanical Institute, ETH Zurich and affiliated with the International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) in Kathmandu, Nepal.

Since the outcome of the project depends on knowledge and participation of local farmers, especially women, they are looked upon as the main partners in the field.

Project Period: April 1999 to March 2002

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Contacts and Addresses
Astrid Björnsen Gurung, ICIMOD, Division of Mountain Farming Systems, P.O. Box 3226, Kathmandu, Nepal
Phone: 00977-1-525 313; Fax: 00977-1-524 509, 317
E-mail: bjoernsen@geobot.umnw.ethz.ch

Prof. Peter J. Edwards, Geobotanical Institute, ETH Zentrum, Zürichbergstr. 38, CH-8044 Zurich, Switzerland
Phone: 0041-1-632 43 30; Fax: 0041-1-632 12 15
E-mail: peter.edwards@geobot.umnw.ethz.ch