Prakash Dhungana , Bibek Sharma , Sudarsan Panta , Padam Bhusal , Rohit Sah

Department of Agriculture, Agriculture and Forestry University, Rampur, Chitwan 44209, Nepal
Author    Correspondence author
International Journal of Horticulture, 2025, Vol. 15, No. 4   doi: 10.5376/ijh.2025.15.0021
Received: 08 Apr., 2025    Accepted: 15 Jul., 2025    Published: 23 Aug., 2025

This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Dhungana P., Sharma B., Panta S., Bhusal P., and Sah R., 2025, Assessing the impact of educational levels and agricultural practices on apple production in jumla district: a comparative study of farmer knowledge, tree age, and varietal diversification, International Journal of Horticulture, 15(4): 201-207 (doi: 10.5376/ijh.2025.15.0021)

This study investigates key factors influencing apple production in the Jumla region of Nepal, a region recognized for its apple cultivation. Using survey data collected from 150 farmers across diversed municipalities, the analysis focuses on the impact of farmer demographics (sex and education level), tree age, and geographic location on apple yield, measured by average apple weight per tree. The findings indicate that while male farmers exhibit a slightly higher average apple weight (26.64 kg compared to 25.50 kg for female farmers), a primary education (27.04 kg) level correlates more strongly with increased productivity than secondary (21.83 kg), higher (24.25 kg), or being illiterate (16.94 kg). Tree age significantly affects yield, with trees older than 15 years demonstrating the highest average weight (38.20 kg). Geographical variations reveal that specific municipalities, notably Sinja (35.02 kg), outperform others, suggesting the influence of local environmental conditions and farming practices. This study provides valuable insights for designing targeted agricultural policies and extension services that can enhance apple farming practices and improve overall yields in the region.

Apple (Malus pumila); Demographics; Education; Geography; Productivity; Tree age; Variety