Common practices in Indigenous Traditional practices in the Nepalese farming system

A) Local animal breed with special characteristics :

a) Poultry:- Shakini, Ghanti while, 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 plow: reduces soil compaction and is eco-friendly

b) Use of Indigenous planking equipment

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, and manure to protect against pests 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 the upland condition in a hill farming system)

d) Surface seedlings of lentil and wheat under lowland condition

e) Planting on ridges and furrows under drought and flooding conditions

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

g) Higher seed rate than the 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 a balanced diet of family and soil nitrogen balance

Multiple cropping: mixed, inter, relay, and multi-storey cropping

Bund planting: Planting grain legume crops in bunds of rice terraces

F) Nutrient management :

a) Penning of livestock in the crop field during the 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 litter 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 the summer season

H) Pest management:

A) Weed management:-

a) Slicing of bunds and terrace raisers

b) Hand weeding and retention of weeds in the field

c) Flooding of rice fields to suppress the growth of weeds

d) Firing the crop residues before sowing

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

f) Use of a wooden rake called ‘Dante’

B) Pest and disease management

a) Control of storage pests by use of herbs like neem, shojo, literati, marigold

b) Summer tillage followed by a certain duration of fallow

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

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

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

f) Mixed and intercropping, planting trap crop

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

h) Use of Scarecrow and animal skulls to scare birds and animals

i) Use of masks for livestock (Bukhari, Malaga)

I) Intercultural operations :

a) Earthing up

b) Leaf streaming

c) Thinning and gap-filling

J) Harvesting :

a) Reaping of rice, wheat, and barley at the base of the 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 the threshing floor

d) Drying on the rooftop

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 (that)

c) Hulling of rice, barley by dhiki