Community approach to the management of bacterial wilt of poato in the hills of Nepal: a project terminal report

• Published in: LARC Occasional Paper (Nepal) no. 98/1
• Main Authors: Ghimire, S.R, Dhital, B.K. (Lumle Agricultural Researc Centre, Pokhara, Kaski (Nepal))
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Pokhara, Kaski (Nepal) Lumle Agricultural Research Centre 01.07.1998
• Subjects: FLETRISSEMENT; MARCHITEZ; NEPAL; PODREDUMBRES; POURRITURE; ROTS; SOLANUM TUBEROSUM; WILTS
• ISSN: 1023-5124

Bacterial wilt (BW) caused by Ralstonia solanacearum is an important disease of potato in Nepal. The disease is established in some traditional seed potato pockets and spreading to many other high hill seed potato pockets. It has put severe threat in food security and income of the high hill farmers, and supply of quality seed potato to the other parts of the country has also been decreasing. Lumle Agricultural Research Centre (LARC) has been working to manage BW by applying integrated methods through community approach since 1990. The success of 1990 programme led to a five year long collaborative project between LARC, Nepal and Users' Perspective With Agricultural Research and Development (UPWARD), Philippipnes to run similar programme in two severely BW infected high hill seed potato pockets: Ulleri and Jhilibrang in 1993. The programme was very effective in managing the BW disease in the hill context of Nepal. It was also found viable in socio-economic perspective however needs a continual and full co-operation from the farmers through out the programme period. As a result of continual support of the community the disease was managed effectively at Jhilibrang. The results of the programme revealed that the use of different control components in an integrated manner through the community approach was effective in managing the disease in the hills of Nepal and it can be applied elsewhere having similar climatic and socio-economic conditions. A sustainable way of managing disease free seed potatoes has been established at Jhilibrang. Attempts were made to institutionalise the BW management programme through existing extension and research network in the country. Meetings, workshops, visits, study tours and training were organised during the programme period and various types of publications were produced to share the experiences on BW management. The programme was effective enough to make the government extension system aware of BW and think critically to implement BW management programme in infected areas as an in-built programme in near future. This paper describes various aspects of community based integrated disease management approach against BW in the hills of Nepal.