Introduction
Directorate Agricultural Research (DoAR), Parwanipur is the oldest agriculture station of Nepal which was established in 1947 AD (2004 BS) with the name of “Parwanipur Agriculture Farm”. Later on fisheries Development Center was established in 1957 AD (2014 BS) and Horticulture and Central Hatchery (Poultry) units were established in 1959 AD (2016 BS).The National Rice Research Program (NRRP) was also established in 1972 AD (2029 BS) in this directorate. Later in 1998, the NRRP was shifted to Hardinath, Dhanusha.
Location
The RARS, Parwanipur is located in Rampur Tokani VDC ward no. 3 of Bara district and is situated at 11 km. north from country’s commercial city Birgunj, 1.5 km east from National high way near Parwanipur at 27o2′ North Latitude, 84o53′ East Longitude and 115 masl elevation.
Climate
DoAR, Parwanipur falls under subtropical region of Nepal. The average maximum temperature ranges from 22.7oC to 34.52oC and minimum temperature ranges from 8.54oC to 25.9oC with an average annual rainfall of 1550 mm. The rainfall distribution is of unimodal type, 84% of the total rainfall is received from June to September.
Land Distribution
DoAR Parwanipur is extended over a land area of 60 ha and distributed in different units as follows:
Horticulture – 7 ha.
Poultry – 2 ha.
Fisheries – 5 ha.
Crop – 31 ha.
Office, Garden, Road – 15 ha.
Goal
The goals of DoAR, Parwanipur is to contribute to the livelihood enhancement of farmers through
- Enhancing agricultural production and productivity
- Generating employment and income opportunities for agricultural entrepreneurs
- Increasing nutritional and food security and
- Sustainable use of natural resources
Objectives
- Assess periodically the agricultural production problems and potential of command area, define and prioritize research agenda in collaboration with commodity research program, central disciplinary divisions, extension services and I/NGOs of the command area.
- Develop and conduct adaptive and applied problem solving research activities and potential exploration of relevant technologies on-station and on-farm emphasizing farming system perspective with multidisciplinary approach in on-farm research.
- Generate suitable and stable alternative sets of location specific technologies for sustained and improved agricultural production.
- Collaborate with central disciplinary divisions and commodity research programs for their multi-location testing, and to obtain specialized technical support.
- Multiply and maintain breeder and foundation seeds, saplings for mother stock and birds and supply to private seed entrepreneurs, nurseries and animal breeders.
- Maintain and operate diagnostic laboratories for soil, plant pathology, entomology and animal health to provide diagnostic support service to station research and paid services.
- Publish research findings of technologies for extensionists and farmers recommendations.
- Provide location specific technologies to extension services of the command area districts for their dissemination.
- Establish linkage with private agro-entrepreneurs of command area for obtaining their support for collaborative and contract research.
Strategies
The researchable problems raised during village level workshop, RATWG meetings are prioritized, designed and formulated in the form of proposal/research projects by interdisciplinary research teams involving scientists and technicians from relevant discipliners and of station itself. These research projects are conducted on stations and at outreach sites.
Technical Programs
While working in a multi-disciplinary facet on crops, horticulture, fisheries and poultry, the technical programs of Parwanipur are broadly classified into followings:
On-station Research
The on-station research projects are developed by the scientists to address regional problems. These are mostly applied research programs. The on-station research activities are of two types
Regional Programs
The research projects are developed by station scientists to address regional problems raised during RATWG.
Collaborative Programs
National
These are projects developed by commodity programs and disciplinary divisions to address regional/national problems. Research projects on rice, maize, grain legume, oilseed, potato, wheat variety development, forage and pasture are collaborated by station scientists of respective discipline to address national problems.
International
Mostly genotypes of different crops are evaluated to select elite materials suitable for solving regional/national needs, system research, nutrient management etc.
Outreach Research
In the outreach research, the scientists develop and conduct research activities to verify developed technologies in the farmers’ fields of the command area with active participation of farmers, extension workers and I/NGOs. The activities also include training of extension workers and farmers, surveys and prioritization of the problems, program planning and monitoring. At present DoAR, Parwanipur have four outreach sites in its command districts.
Production Program
DoAR, Parwanipur also produces foundation seeds of cereal, legume, oilseed and vegetable crops, fruit saplings, fish fingerlings and avian chicks for dissemination of improved varieties/breeds in the region and other parts of the country.
Technical Services
The scientists also help clients in solving soil fertility problems, insect pest identification and management, technical advice to farmer’s and extension workers to facilitate agricultural development in the province.
Current thrust areas for research
- To conduct basic, adaptive and applied research on crops, horticultural crops, fisheries and poultry for developing economically viable and sustainable package of technologies to reduce poverty by increasing agricultural production.
- To conduct on-farm research for verification of the generated technologies in the command area in order to suit farming system and socio-economic domains.
- To maintain selected genotypes of plants, poultry and fish and to produce source seeds/saplings of improved varieties of plants, hatchlings and fingerlings of fishes and chicken of avian birds for the clients.
Researchers
- Dr. Bishewor Prasad Yadav, Senior Scientist (S-3)/Director
- Ms. Mitli Sah, Scientist
Contact Address
Nepal Agricultural Research Council
Directorate of Agriculture Research
Province 2, Parwanipur, Bara, Nepal
Phone: 977-051-650376, 620379
E-mail: rarspar@yahoo.com
Website: www.narc.gov.np