Back to solutions
1 Jan 2020 | NEPCAT technologies

Kiwi fruit cultivation

1 min Read

70% Complete

Kiwi fruit cultivation on sloping land in the mid-hill areas of Nepal can help prevent soil erosion and is a sustainable land management practice. This high value crop introduces biodiversity and improves livelihoods by providing a source of cash income.

The kiwi fruit is native to China. Previously called Chinese gooseberry, it is now more commonly known by its marketing name of kiwi fruit. Kiwi fruits grow on large vines that are similar to grapevines in their general growth and fruiting habits as well as their training and trellising requirements. The fruit normally ripens within 25 weeks after the flowers first appear. The fruits range in weight from 40 to 90 g and can be picked shortly after the first frost in autumn; after that, they can be kept in cold storage for 4–6 months at oC. Kiwi vines can be grown on a wide range of soil types at elevations ranging from 1000 m to 2500 m. The kiwi plant is dioecious, meaning individual plants are either male or female. Only female plants bear fruit, but only when pollinated by a male plant. Vines of both sexes are essential for fruit production, and they must flower at the same time to ensure pollination. One male pollinator vine is required for eight female vines. The vines are commonly supported on sturdy structures strong enough to bear the heavy fruit, which might otherwise break the rather weak vines. T-bars or hitching post trellises are recommended to support the large fruiting area in the form of a canopy and provide easy access to the fruit.

ICIMOD Knowledge Park at Godavari, Lalitpur District, Nepal

WOCAT database reference: QT NEP 30

Location: ICIMOD Knowledge Park at Godavari, Lalitpur District, Nepal.

Technology area: 1 ha

Conservation measure(s): Vegetative

Land Use: Perennial (non-woody) cropping

Stage of intervention: Mitigating land degradation

Origin: Introduced as an experiment (plant origin China)

Climate: Subhumid/temperate

Related approach: Not described

Compiled by: Samden Sherpa, ICIMOD

Date: April 2011, updated March 2013

Download PDF

1 Jan 2020 NEPCAT technologies
Plastic film technology

Plastic film technology, sometimes called plastic mulching, is an important breakthrough that can transform traditional agriculture into modern agriculture by ...

2 Jan 2020 NEPCAT technologies
Rehabilitation of degraded communal grazing land

Rehabilitation measures, including eyebrow pits and live fencing, were implemented on degraded communal grazing land to reestablish a protective vegetative ...

2 Jan 2020 NEPCAT technologies
Riverbank protection

Local materials and knowledge can be used to construct low-cost structural measures that help to prevent the erosion of riverbanks ...

2 Jan 2020 NEPCAT technologies
System of Rice Intensification (SRI)

A method for increasing the productivity of rice by changing the management of plants, soil, water, and nutrients The System of ...

1 Jan 2020 NEPCAT technologies
Drinking water quality improvement through conservation measures

Structural and vegetative measures to improve the quality of drinking water contaminated due to poor sanitation and seepage This technology combines ...

1 Jan 2020 NEPCAT technologies
Improved cattleshed for urine collection

Collection of cattle urine in improved cattle sheds for use as liquid manure and organic pesticide Nitrogen is the most important ...

2 Jan 2020 NEPCAT technologies
Treadle pump

A treadle pump is a foot operated water lifting device that can be used by smallholder farmers to irrigate their ...

2 Jan 2020 NEPCAT technologies
Traditional irrigated rice terraces

Level bench terraces with risers protected by fodder grasses, used for the irrigated production of rice, potatoes and wheat The level ...