Nepal is the fourth most vulnerable country to climate change. Its economic development is closely linked to agriculture. People working in the agriculture sector, particularly in Western Nepal, are often fall amongst the poorest in the country. For example, in Karnali Province, the average yearly income in agriculture is below EUR 200. The climate-sensitive agriculture sector still employs almost 66% of Nepal’s workforce but only contributes to 27% of its Gross Domestic Product. Despite being central to the people and the economy, the sector’s production and marketing systems are not sufficiently developed, making it even more vulnerable to climate change.

Though climate change is a global issue, we need to take actions at the country level. In Nepal’s context, Sudurpashchim and Karnali provinces are among the most vulnerable to climate change and rank low in terms of development indicators. These provinces have critical gaps in the knowledge, evidence, capacity, financing, and institutional mechanisms for design and promotion of resilience building practices. Several projects implemented by our development partners in these provinces and in Nepal aim to bring transformative changes in the country’s agriculture sector for achieving sustainable development goals.