Identifying Potential Crop Residue Allocation Trade-Offs in Crop-Livestock Farming Systems : Implications for Conservation Agriculture Practices for Smallholders in Hilly Areas of Nepal

Conservation Agriculture (CA) is an inter-linked set of production practices that can significantly contribute to the objectives of sustainably intensifying crop yields. However, the CA practice of retaining crop residues at the soil surface can create trade-offs with livestock feeding and other end uses for residue, including fuel. This paper explores the options and costs of retaining residue for CA in hilly areas of Nepal where residues are also an important component of livestock feed. The results are based on 30 village surveys conducted in three districts of western Nepal. Villages were classified into groups based on existing maize productivity levels (i.e. above or below the national average). Results suggest that in villages where maize grain and stover yields are relatively high, a considerable share of crop residues can be retained in the field even after meeting feed requirements if stocking numbers are held constant. On the other hand, in low maize yield areas, CA can lead to substantial feed deficits. While these results are intuitive, it is important to 1) recognize that the entry points and implications for transition to CA are not uniform, and 2) research and development efforts need to concentrate on the intensification of crop production in low yielding areas so that trade-offs with livestock are minimized. Fortunately, with more efficient use of water, labour, and soil resources, CA offers a low risk and lower cost pathway for crop intensification in most hill production ecologies in Nepal