Transfer, Evaluation and Dissemination of an Innovative Fertilizer Management Tool (Nutrient Expert®) for increasing crop yields and farmers’ income in Eastern Nepal

Blanket fertilizer recommendations for rice, wheat and maize in Nepal results in over- or under-use of nutrients, and poor overall nutrient use efficiency. To address the issue of improper fertilizer use among farmers, farmer participatory trials on the evaluation and transfer of Nutrient Expert® (NE)-based fertilizer recommendation were initiated for enhancing productivity of rice, maize and wheat in smallholder farms in the eastern Terai region of Nepal.

The current project was initiated to assess the Nutrient Expert® (NE) for Maize, Wheat and Rice in the Eastern Terai region of Nepal for improving yield and profitability of farmers through site-specific nutrient management. Two villages in Jhapa DIstrict (Gauradaha and Dhukurpani-Damak) and two villages in Morang District (Itahara and Babiya Birta) of Nepal were chosen for the current study. The soils of the area are slightly acidic, with low to medium organic carbon content.