Building resilience and sustainability through agroecology as a Nature based Solution (NbS) for green mountain livelihoods

About the workshop

The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) under the Himalayan Resilience Enabling Action Programme (HI-REAP), in collaboration with Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and Ministry of Land Management, Agriculture and Co-operatives (MoLMAC), Karnali Province, is going to organise a regional workshop to enhance the understanding and promotion of agroecology as an approach in building resilience and sustainability in mountain food systems. The workshop will convene multi-stakeholders from the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) countries to foster cross-learning on agroecological practices, solutions, approaches, and policies. It aims to increase awareness about the importance of agroecology as a Nature based Solution (NbS) and highlight ICIMOD’s ongoing initiatives under HI-REAP and showcase efforts by governments and partner organisations.

Participants will include researchers, experts from government and non-government sectors, practitioners, academicians, policymakers, and other stakeholders committed to sustainable mountain agriculture.

Objectives

The specific objectives of the workshop are to:

• Build participants’ awareness of what agroecology is and why it is critical for sustainable mountain food systems.
• Highlight ICIMOD’s work under HI-REAP and showcase government and partner organisation efforts to promote agroecology in the HKH.
• Facilitate the sharing of agroecological best practices and solutions to address challenges in the HKH.
• Promote collaboration among stakeholders to create an enabling environment for scaling agroecological solutions in the region.

Background

The Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region is home to over 240 million people, with agriculture serving as the primary livelihood source for the majority of its population. However, this region faces increasing challenges, including climate change impacts, loss of agrobiodiversity, soil degradation, and social inequities that exacerbate food insecurity.

Agroecology is an integrated approach that simultaneously applies agroecological and social concepts and principles to the design and management of food and agricultural systems (FAO, 2018). Agroecology offers a holistic and sustainable approach to addressing societal challenges relating to food and livelihood insecurity by integrating ecological principles into agricultural practices, preserving biodiversity, and enhancing ecosystem services. It emphasises local knowledge, participatory decision-making, and community empowerment, making it particularly relevant for the HKH’s diverse and fragile landscapes.

ICIMOD’s HI-REAP programme aims to scale NbS for climate adaptation and socio-ecological resilience. With an objective to build greener environments and more inclusive and climate-resilient communities in HKH, we are expanding CRA solutions by bringing NbS dimension and agroecological elements.

Building on HI-REAP’s interventions, this workshop seeks to deepen understanding and commitment to agroecology as a transformative pathway for resilience and sustainability in the region.