Brief Overview of Nepal
Nepal is a small country in South Asia with a land area of 147,181 kilometers squared, comprising approximately 0.03 percent of the total land area on Planet Earth (Government of Nepal, 2016). It is located between the two South Asian countries of India and China. This locale renders Nepal to be completely landlocked, making both China and India Nepal’s crucial allies and biggest trade partners. Nepal is multi-lingual as well as multi-religious, and happens to be home to the tallest mountain peak in the world, Mount Everest (Government of Nepal, 2016). The country is divided into 3 climatic regions, the Terai, Hills and Mountain regions, ranging from the south to north end of the country respectively (Pariyar, 1998). Nepal also contains the world’s greatest variation in altitudes across its country, allowing for a large variety of agricultural products to be grown and produced here (Joshi, Mudwari, Bhatta, 2006).
Nepal experiences varying average temperatures, across the three regions, with the whole country’s average temperature lying between 9 and 12 degrees Celsius throughout the winter months (“The Best Time to Come to Nepal,” 2012). In the mountain regions these temperatures are much lower, often in the sub zero area, dictating the minimal variety of crops that can be grown. Farmers who live in these areas experiencing sub zero temperatures, among other harsh weather conditions commonly experienced during the winter season, are limited as to timing and type of crop they can plant. Due to the varied agro-ecological diversity of Nepal, wheat can be grown as both a spring and winter field crop (Joshi, Mudwari, Bhatta, 2006). Winter wheat allows for the continuation of the growing season for the farmer as it can be grown in this unfavorable climate, and also be harvested early compared to spring wheat.
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The main religion practiced in Nepal is Hinduism. A core tradition in this religion is the avoidance of certain animal products including beef and pork products. Due to this dietary limitation, those who follow this creed are in need of other food stuff, mainly plants. Wheat is tied with maize as the second highest consumed cereal crop in Nepal constituting 12 to 15 percent of total national cereal crop consumption (World Bank, n.d.). Currently, the wheat produced in Nepal is primarily used for bread and biscuits, while continuing to increase its important role in the Nepalese economy (Joshi, Mudwari, Bhatta, 2006).
Benefits to Nepal
The most common farming practice found in Nepal is subsistence farming (Chapagain, T., personal communication, September 16, 2016). In the hill region, more than 90 percent of farmers are subsistence farming, managing an average of 0.63 hectares of cultivated land (Neupane, 2001). Subsistence farming is based on the ideal that all the goods produced, both livestock and field crops, are directed back to feeding their family and livestock and providing other necessities for the farmer’s family (Subsistence Farming, n.d.). Although this method provides a food source for the family, often it is not sufficient for the traditionally large family with little to no profits providing for other necessities. As mentioned above, the average farmer has a very small amount of land to work and needs to reap as much profit as possible in order to survive. When the cold temperatures arrive, their small plot is forced to stand vacant until more favourable weather arrives. Winter wheat, such as Priesley, has the ability to bridge the gap between fall and spring for these rural farmers, giving them hope for more abundant produce and a chance to feed their families. If combined with the farmers current cropping habits, it presents the opportunity for surplus crops, therefore leading to the freedom of trade and the attainment of monetary profits to help pay expenses and sustain the farm in other ways.
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With the addition of extra money for the rural farmer, he will then in turn invest the money into a shop, equipment, or something of the like, by purchasing the products and equipment needed from other local business owners. This business person pays taxes to the Nepalese government such as, corporate income tax, social security contributions, municipal business tax, and property tax (The World Bank, 2015). A cycle is produced with the farmer receiving monetary gain from his surplus produce, spending this money in a local business who then has received added support to continue their venture, taxes are paid to the Nepalese government in order to continue the business’s existence, and the government now has added money to aid in the importation of a foreign product; in this case a Canadian winter wheat such as Priesley.
Lastly, a benefit to both Norstar and Priesley is their resistance to shattering; the wheat head will retain its seeds rather than let them all drop to the ground as they reach maturity (Alberta Agriculture and Forestry, 2007). This characteristic allows for a drastic decrease in the number of people required to harvest the plants, therefore saving the farmer both time and money. He is able to simply gather the wheat, stem and all, rather than trying to harvest each small grain from the ground. It saves the farmer from added physical and financial stress with the decreased need of outside hires, and being able to rely on his family to harvest the crop efficiently and in a timely manner.
