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The intervened farmers were approached frequently by the FSR staff;
whereas, the control farmers were approached occasionally by the FSR staff
merely to monitor their existing farm~ng activities.
Data collection
Although some data and information were taken from previous studies of the CSP,
most of the data were collected from farm surveys and monitoring activities. Six
intervened farmers and six control farmers were interviewed in detail to determine
the degree of adoption of FSR recommended technologies. Site descriptions were
based on secondary data collected from various sources.
Analytical techniques
A number of variables were used to measure the impact of FSR at Pumdi Bhumdi.
To compare the before and after situations, cropping patterns, crop production,
livestock enterprises, fodder and forage production, vegetable-based cropping
patterns, and nutritional aspects were considered. However, no specific analytical
technique was used because of the limited sample size. The collected data were
compiled, and averages and percentages were computed.
Site description
lsir~lntion. Pumdi Bhumdi is located in the western midhills about 208 km
Exist west it'b o Kathmandu (Fig. 1). It lies on the side of a hill whose elevation varies from
750 to 1270 m. Average annual rainfall at the site is 4,000 mm. Crops are damaged
by hail during both spring and fall. The total area of Pumdi Bhumdi is
approximately 2,500 ha, and the cultivated area is about 1,012 ha. The total
population in 1990 was 5,610. There are approximately 1,047 families and an
average household has 5-6 family members who subsist on about 0.87 ha of
cultivated land. A family has an average of three members available for farm labor.
The existing farming systems and the interactions between different farm
enterprises are shown in Figure 2. This figure shows that crops and livestock are an
integral part of farming and that off-farm factors play an important role in
supporting farming activities. The major cropping patterns during 1979 are also
shown. In the lowland area, rice-based cropping patterns were the most common;
whereas, in the upland area, maize-based cropping patterns were predominant.
The survey resu!ts showed that the fertile upland areas have this
predominant cropping pattern: maize intercropped with soybean followed by a relay
crop of finger millet and a winter crop of wheat, mustard, or barley. The survey also
showed that 51% of the upland area was devoted to triple cropping, 43% to double
cropping, and only 2% to single cropping. In contrast, 55% of the lowland areas are
devoted to a single crop of rice and 24% to maize - rice - wheat (DOA 1980). An