Transforming livelihood through innovative agricultural reform: an insight into the adoption of system of rice intensification (SRI) in Nepal         By Sadhana Rana                             Master Thesis in International Development Studies Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) Department of International Environment and Development Studies, NORAGRIC 2015 1 The Department of International Environment and Development Studies, Noragric, is the international gateway for the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU). The NMBU consists of eight departments, associated research institutions and the Norwegian College of Veterinary Medicine in Oslo. Established in 1986, Noragric’s contribution to international development lies in the interface between research, education (Bachelor, Master and PhD programmes) and assignments. The Noragric Master theses are the final theses submitted by students in order to fulfil the requirement under the Noragric Master programme ‘‘International Environmental Studies’’, ‘‘Development Studies’’ and other Master programmes. The findings in this thesis do not necessarily reflect the views of Noragric. Extracts from this publication may only be reproduced after prior consultation with the author and on condition that the source is indicated. For rights of reproduction or translation contact Noragric. © Sadhana Rana, August 2015 DECLARATION I, Sadhana Rana, declare that this thesis is a result of my research investigations and findings. Sources of information other than my own have been acknowledged and a reference list has been appended. This work has not been previously submitted and will not be submitted to any other university for award of any type of academic degree. Signature……………………………….. th Date: 25 August, 2015 iii Acknowledgement Words cannot describe enough to express my eternal gratitude to my Master and the Humanitarian Leader, Mr. Prem Rawat. The gift of knowledge and his message helped me revitalize during the moment of constant stress and odd times. I thank God for guiding me intuitively in my decisions that made impossible possible in many corners of my life. Besides my awe-inspiring master, I extend my wholehearted gratitude to my supervisor Prof. Bishal Sitaula. Your comment, critical questions, and welcoming support finally shaped this Thesis. My sincere thanks to my Co- supervisor Dr. Nani Raut for guiding me through the writing process to maintain the quality of Thesis and responding sensibly even during the pressurized time. And my heartfelt thanks to my Field Supervisor Rajendra Uprety for altruistically helping me to find a loving family to live with, transport to field, field guide, even without asking for it. The supervisors’ guidance kept me on my toes to be more focused on the objective of the study. I would also like to thank Ingunn Bohman, the Coordinator, for her welcoming gesture and optimistic suggestions. I offer my heartfelt thanks to NORAGRIC faculties for giving me the chance to enrich my international academic experiences in Norway. And also, “Yippee” to UDI for granting me the prolonged stay. I am indebted to Ms. Nelson Pokhrel, and her in-laws who took care of me concerning each and every facility during my stay in their home in Biratnagar. Moreover, my Thanksgiving would be incomplete without mentioning all the respondents of Govindapur and Lohasur Village. I am also grateful to the friends Kalpana, Govinda who accompanied me in the data collection though the weather was freaking 35 Degrees Celsius hot most of the days. I also owe thanks to the key informants Sagar Bhattarai, Sri Vedanand Chaudhary, Rudra Bhattarai and Jim Danisch. I devote this Thesis to my loving Parents; Brother Raju and Brother Basanta; Ashmita Aunt and Ajay Uncle, I am who I am because of them. Last but not the least, huge hugs and salute to my friend Sarjana K.C, and her better half Dipendra K.C for their love, support and gallant guidance. They say: Life is partly what we make it, and partly what is made by the friends we choose. You people never left the chance to take care of me. I feel fortunate to have and meet all of you in my life. Tusen Hjertlig Takk! Sadhana Rana, 2015, Oslo, Norway! iv Abstract This study explains the ability of ground-breaking rice cultivation practice known as System of Rice Intensification (SRI). SRI is allowing Nepalese farmers to double not only the rice production but also to prove that the Nepalese farmers can adopt the agricultural technique and practices despite few obstacles on the way. SRI is high-yielding low input rice cultivation method that can increase rice yields. The result from the field visit shows that SRI can yield two-three times higher as compared to the traditional system of rice production in Morang district .The claims of improved livelihood only through SRI remain controversial due to widespread dis-adoption in some contexts. So, the study tries to understand whether SRI adoption has any impact on the welfare of villagers. The literature review shows that SRI, on the one hand, has improved the livelihood of poor farmers. On the contrary, one cannot deny the fact that SRI demands more investment i.e. more labor and machinery for large-scale cultivation. With the assistance of Agriculture service center, the study thus proceeded in three steps: qualitative questionnaire survey with the 35 farmers of Govindapur Village of Koshi Haraincha and Lohasur Village of Motipur VDC of Morang District. The second step involved the focused group discussion (FGD) among the villagers of Koshi Haraincha followed by the selected SRI Key Informant Interviews. The second and third phases of research method i.e. focused group discussion and key informant interviews test the consistency of sampling population i.e. the farmers’ response and the view gathered from the respondents of focused group discussion and key informant interview respectively. The design of this intervention allowed us to check validity and data triangulation respectively. This study explores how the adoption of SRI has influenced the livelihood assets and how the availability of the asset has influenced adoption. Thus, the underlying premise of this study is the analysis of holistic perspective of how farmers have responded to the innovative agricultural reform in Govindapur Village of Koshi Haraincha Municipality and Lohasur Village of Motipur VDC respectively. From the field study on these two villages, it can be concluded that it is the access to physical and natural resources that determines the successful adoption of SRI technique for better livelihood. Govindapur village upon good access to resources has delivered good result on SRI practice than Lohasur village which lacks access to resources. Keywords: SRI, Adoption, Dis-adoption, Livelihood, Innovation, Assets/Resources v Table of Contents Chapter 1: Introduction ............................................................................................................ 1-11 1.1 Background .......................................................................................................................... 1-6 1.2 Organization of the Study ........................................................................................................ 6-7 1.3 Statement of the Problem ..................................................................................................... 7-9 1.4 Objectives and Aims of the Study ......................................................................................... 9 1.6 Research Questions ............................................................................................................ 9-10 Chapter 2: Research Methodology ......................................................................................... 11-38 2.1 Literature Review................................................................................................................. 12-14 2.2 The Livelihood Approach .................................................................................................... 14-16 2.3The Agriculture Innovation Approach ....................................................................................... 17 2.4 Relevance of Livelihood and Agricultural Innovation Approach to Study .............................. 17 2.4.1 Relevance of Agricultural Innovation Approach to Study ................................................. 18 2.4. 2 Relevance of innovation Approach to Study ................................................................ 18-19 2.5 Conceptual Framework .................................................................................................... 19-21 2.6 Scope of the Study ............................................................................................................... 21-23 2.7 Selection of the Study Area ................................................................................................. 23-24 2.8 Access to Field .......................................................................................................................... 25 2.9 Choosing Informant .................................................................................................................. 26 3.0 Survey and Research Interview ........................................................................................... 26-27 3.0.1 Key Informant Interview ............................................................................................ 27 3.1 Sampling Method ................................................................................................................. 28-29 vi 3.2 Sources of Data and Data Collection .................................................................................... 30-35 3.3 Data Analysis ........................................................................................................................ 35-36 3.4 Ethical Considerations ............................................................................................................... 36 3.5 Positionality .......................................................................................................................... 36-37 3.6 Reliability and Validity ........................................................................................................... 38 Chapter 3: Results and Discussion ......................................................................................... 39-63 3.1 Influence of SRI in the livelihood in the farming Household of Govindapur and Lohasur Community ................................................................................................................................ 40-43 3.1.1 Food Security ........................................................................................................ 43-44 3.1.2 Access to Physical Asset ....................................................................................... 44-45 3.1.3 Access to Agricultural Services ............................................................................ 45-47 3.1.4 Assessment of Natural Capital .............................................................................. 47-49 3.1.5 Assessment of Human Capital .............................................................................. 49-51 3.1.6 Assessment of Financial Capital ................................................................................ 52 3.1.7 Access to Credit .................................................................................................... 52-53 3.2 Significance of SRI over traditional method ....................................................................... 53-55 3.3 Knowing the farmers perceptions on the adoption of SRI ................................................... 55-57 3.3.1 Understanding the constraints to the adoption of technology ............................... 58-60 3.4 Compatibility of SRI with small scale famers ..................................................................... 60-63 vii Chapter 4: Summary and Conclusion.................................................................................... 64-74 4.1 Conclusion .......................................................................................................................... 64-66 4.2 Limitations ................................................................................................................................ 66 4.3 Recommendations ................................................................................................................ 67-68 References ................................................................................................................................. 69-74 Appendices ................................................................................................................................ 75-83 List of Tables Table 1: Brief background of Study Area ....................................................................................... 21 Table 2: Summary of Key Informants interviewed ........................................................................ 27 Table 3: Classification of Farmers based on the size of land ownership ........................................ 29 Table 4: Comparative Table on Livelihood Assets......................................................................... 40 Table 5: Crop Yield displaying Conventional and SRI method in Govindapur Village ................ 52 viii