Maize in the hills of Nepal is cultivated in a wide range of environmental regimes. The variations in altitude, aspects, uncertainty of pre-monsoon and / or monsoon rainfall leading to yearly variations in planting time and maize growth, cropping systems, management practices, indigenous knowledge systems, traditions, input regimes, socioeconomic ground realities, farmers specific preferences and needs influence what is currently practiced and what will likely be adopted by farmers. The above variations across the mid-hills of Nepal are so overwhelming that it is a tremendous challenge to focus meaningful maize research so as to have any bearing on technology generation that has potential for large-scale extrapolation and impact. About 95% of the farmers have less than one hectare of land and 72% of households have food sufficiency for less than six months (Gurung, 1999). Maize is staple food and very little goes to market. Most maize farmers in the remote areas, inaccessible by roads and devoid ofany development infrastructures, are so poor that they cannot afford to buy external inputs. Under such circumstances, it is a daunting task to reach those farmers with maize production technology and to make an impact. The Hill Maize Research Project (HMRP) is trying to do just that and has made progress by developing technology for and with poor farmers. This paper highlights the experiences and achievements of the project and methodologies followed.
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