Maize, being the second most important staple cereal crop after rice in term of area and production in Nepal, was cultivated in 9,82,761 hectares of land (Govind KC, 2015). Maize provides human food, poultry feed, and stover as animal fodder. Mixed cropping maize with different legumes or vegetables is one of the oldest practices of Nepalese farmers.

The “Demonstration and promotion of Maize-Based Technologies in Western Mid-hill Districts of Nepal” project was implemented by LI-BIRD, involving individual farmers and communities to test the improved maize varieties through participatory variety selection, demonstrate and disseminate maize-based technologies like seed priming, detasseling, inter-cropping, and farm yard manure improvement through technical backstopping from implementing organizations and the District Agriculture Development Offices.

The “Enterprising Community Based Seed Producer Groups in the Western Mid Hill Districts of Nepal” project was implemented by LI-BIRD involving the CBSP groups in the respective project sites through technical backstopping from implementing organization, DADOs, NARC stations with the involvement of Regional Seed Testing Lab (RSTL) and agro-vets to build a sustainable seed business model of appropriate improved maize varieties crop along with the diversity of crops.

The project goal was to strengthen the capacity of farmers in quality seed production by developing entrepreneurs from the CBSP groups and promote new maize varieties through PVS and IRD.