Abstract

The high level of poverty and its high population growth rate make South Asia one of the most challenging regions in the developing world. 37% of the poorest of the poor live in this region, where there is an extreme malnutrition, and food insecurity, particularly in the eastern part of the sub-continent including Bangladesh, eastern India, and Nepal. Wheat production is one of the economic mainstays but the productivity of wheat cropping systems lags far behind its potential. The yield gap between farmer's fields and experimental yields is wide across all South Asian countries. Foliar diseases such as leaf and yellow rust, as well as leaf blights, are important biotic constraints. Heat stress, low fertilizer dose, delayed seeding, and the lack of, or improper irrigation, play also an important role. However, one of the main causes of low yields in the region is farmer's continued cultivation of old wheat varieties. These varieties are genetically inferior to more recently developed materials, and are more susceptible to diseases. Two factors, in turn, seem to be holding back the dissemination of newer varieties: inadequate extension and poor seed production systems. Genetic vulnerability to diseases is another important issue in South Asia where large areas are occupied by one single variety in each of these countries. The potential threat of new races of rust such as Ug-99 of stem rust and others, call for the urgent need to diversify the area with varieties with broad spectrum of disease resistance. This paper discusses the crop improvement, crop management and the policy constraints that affect wheat production in South Asia. Special attention is given to explain the participatory research methodologies that have been used to develop, identify and disseminate new production technologies and how they have improved the livelihoods of poor farmers in the region.