भाद्र १७, २०७८  |  Prakash Sejwal

Rice is one of the most important cereal crops and one of the major staple food crops in Nepal. Not only is rice a key source of carbohydrate and essential nutrients, but also a major source of employment for those who are involved in the agro sector. Nepal's economic growth depends upon rice production as rice has more than 50% share of total food production. As per the Fiscal Year 2020/2021, rice was grown in 1.47 a million hectares of land with the production of 5.621 million metric tons with a productivity was 3.81 tons/ha. These low yields in rice can be attributed to a gap that exists between what farmers are harvesting in their rice fields and what has been demonstrated by research.

Farmers lose an estimated average of 37% of their rice crop to pests and diseases every year. Lack of access to timely advisory service on disease identification and access to basic inputs together with post-harvest loss credits for much of the annual dividend on what could be provided versus what the market received. In addition to good crop management, timely and accurate diagnosis can significantly reduce losses (http://www.knowledgebank.irri.org).

GeoKrishi is a digital agri-advisory service platform that assists farmers to access the right information at the right time through multiple channels in the most understandable manner. Out of its many approaches to connect with farmers, GeoKrishi also operates through a social media network through a Facebook group called 'GeoKrishi e-Chautari'. Recently there have been growing concerns regarding a rice disorder (disease and pest) in our e-chautari (GeoKrishi) platforms by rice growers’ farmers. Hence, in order to establish a tailored information supply and respond to a large audience, a digital webinar was organized.

GeoKrishi with the help of CEAPRED organized a webinar series entitled 'e-Chautari Meet' (ई चौतारी भेटघाट) for the Rice disease and pest: with their management practices. Mr. Kiran Bhusal (Programme Coordinator, RMS, CEAPRED) joined our hand as the facilitator and expert for the webinar where more than 120 rice-growing farmers accompanied our the online webinar which comprised of 6 farmers groups and cooperative members from the distinct parts of Nepal like Kathmandu, Dang, Rupandehi, Kanchanpur, Gulmi, Salyan, Banke, Bardiya, Morang, Dhanusa, Kavre, Kailali, etc.

The webinar on rice disease and pest management was conducted on 4 Bhadra, 2078 B.S. which started with an introductory presentation of GeoKrishi followed by the detailed information of all the corresponding rice diseases and pests. The Expert session was more focused on Integrated Pest Management (IPM) methods of disease and pest control with their illustration and pictures. The facilitator focused on enabling farmers to identify the disease and take immediate action to stop further infestation. Furthermore, the floor was open for the farmers to put their queries and ask questions. The expert acknowledged all the farmers' queries respectively. Later the session was closed with the closing remarks by the GeoKrishi team and group photo sessions.

Some of our key learning from the webinar is that the best control for pests and disease problems are prevented. To limit pest and disease damage:

§       Practice good cleaning of equipment and field between seasons

§      Use clean seeds and resistant varieties

§      Do not over apply fertilizer

§      Encourage natural pest enemies

§      Do not apply pesticide within 40 days of planting

§      Properly store grain

As it is well evident that, most Nepalese farmers are concentrated in rural areas where internet access is insubstantial. In such situations due to the lack of adequate infrastructures to connect to digital information hubs will prohibit farmers to participate and gain the right subject matter knowledge. The concept of e-chautari tackles such limitations and brought such farmers together to connect them with the digital agriculture advisory services. An e-chautari refers to any open space with a minimum criterion of internet access and a connecting device.  Farmers can get the information of market, price, inputs, weather, value addition, production practices, and good agriculture practices (GAP) from e-chautari and also participate in webinars conducted above.

Farmer-centric webinars are very important as they provide a safe space for farmers to learn and share their issues. Also as 'e-Chautari Meet' chooses topics based on requirements of the farmers themselves, it provides an opportunity to interact with subject matter experts of the contemporary topics. Such kinds of the webinar will be organized within the fortnight interval in farmers and partners organizations demand. 

प्रकाशित : भाद्र १७, २०७८