Page 137 - PC2019 Program & Proceedings

PLANT CANADA 2019

S59. Sustainable agriculture kits (SAKs) for subsistence farmers
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Raizada, M. ; T. Chapagain ; P. Roshan ; B. Ghimire ; M. Thilakarathna ; L. Smith ; R. Devkota ;
M. Sharma ; B. Thapa
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1 University of Guelph
2 Local Initiatives for Biodiversity, Research and Development
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Anamolbiu Prvt Limited
Two billion people are involved in subsistence farming. How will we provide technical assistance to so
many people, at a time of rapid climate change? The SAKNepal project was funded by a $2.3 million
grant from the Canadian government. We tested a model to scale up a regional kit of seed packages, tools
and agronomic innovations to reduce female hardship, help increase crop production/income, and/or
enhance environmental sustainability for hillside terrace farm households in Nepal. We have now reached
62,000 households (272,000 people directly or indirectly), especially women farmers. The technologies
are low cost and combined into a commercial menu of options known as sustainable agriculture kits
(SAKs) from which households can purchase/adopt individual items. Forty-six products and agronomic
practices were tested on-farm with 600 local farmers. Subsequently, consumer farmers began purchasing
individual technologies from the menu. A graphical flyer accompanies each product to instruct illiterate
farmers on how to use the products or consider novel practices. The products are sold via pre-existing
commercial distribution networks including cigarette, snackfood and machinery dealers, reaching remote
villages. At the end of the pipeline, cell phones are used to conduct feedback surveys with consumer
farmers, using contact information collected from incentivized vendors. We propose that many SAK
products/methodologies are transferrable to the world’s 400 million subsistence farmer households,
especially to improve the livelihoods of rural women and girls.

Manish Raizada (raizada@uoguelph.ca)

S60. The effect of micronutrients and macronutrients on the development and grain yield of annual
canarygrass (Phalaris canariensis L.)
May, W.
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

Annual canarygrass has a larger grain yield response to chloride (Cl) fertilizer (25%) than most cereals
raising the question, is canaryseed more responsive to other micronutrients then other cereal crops. The
objectives were to determine the effect of macro and micro nutrients on the yield and development of
canaryseed in a side band or foliar application. Two experiments were conducted. In experiment 1 the
first treatment received no fertilizer and followed by a series of 13 treatments with additional nutrients
added or removed in a sideband at seeding. In experiment 2, a control received no fertilizer while the
other treatments received nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, Cl and sulfur in a sideband. The third
treatment received a mixture of zinc, copper, manganese and boron in a sideband. The other treatments
consisted of foliar applications of single nutrients, zinc, copper, manganese and boron at the 3-6 leaf and
flag leaf stages. The results indicate that at sites with a Cl response the other macro and micro nutrients
have very little impact on yield in the absence of Cl. Chloride impacted yield during or after anthesis. A
surface application of chloride increased yield. Foliar application was inconsistent in increasing the
concentration of the micronutrient in leaf tissue. Canaryseed is not more sensitive to micronutrients than
other cereal crops. Currently, Cl is the only micronutrient of major importance in canaryseed.

William May (william.may@canada.ca)

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