Climate resilient and inclusive agriculture in Nepal: Approaches and partnership

Agenda

About the Workshop

The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) under the Renewable Energy for Resilient Agri-food Systems (RERAS) project have planned to host a three-days stakeholder consultation workshop. This workshop aims to sensitize the key government and non-government stakeholders from local (11 muncipalities from project districts), sub-national and national levels on the issues of climate change and the need of resilience thinking in climate actions and related policies. The event will also provide an opportunity to share findings of preliminary draft technical reports (i.e., climate resilient farming plan, training manual on climate resilient agriculture (CRA) solutions and vulnerability assessment report) of RERAS project with stakeholders to get their feedback for further improvements. The event will have a dedicated day (22 August) for local government officials and farmers from 11 municipalities and key partners for their orientation and exposure to resilient and affordable agricultural solutions in the Living Mountain Lab (LML) of ICIMOD and in the field of Kavreplanchok district.

Objectives of the event

• To sensitize local, sub-national and national stakeholders on climate change and CRA solutions.
• To share the key findings of the preliminary draft technical reports with stakeholders to get their feedback.
• To provide exposure to local government officials, farmers from 11 municipalities and relevant stakeholders on CRA solutions in LML of ICIMOD, and Kavreplanchok district.
• To check partnership health and strengthen the collaboration for achieving collective objectives of the project.

Background

Agriculture has long been an integral part of livelihoods in the Hindu-Kush Himalaya (HKH), including Nepal. Agriculture in Nepal faces numerous challenges induced by climate change, such as natural disasters, increased incidence of pests and diseases, loss of agro-biodiversity, and soil degradation. These issues, alongside increased workload of women and youth migration, threaten food security and exacerbate poverty in the region. Bajura and Jumla, being remote districts of Nepal, are particularly vulnerable to these challenges due to their lack of access to resources and infrastructure.

Addressing the critical need for food and nutrition security requires urgent action to enhance the sustainability of food systems. The Renewable Energy for Resilient-Food Systems (RERAS) project aims to achieve this by promoting climate-resilient solutions and renewable energy across various stages of agricultural value chains in Bajura, Jumla, Mugu, and Sindhuli districts. Specifically, the project targets 11 municipalities and rural municipalities across Sudurpashchim, Karnali, and Bagmati provinces. The project collaborates with local and provincial governments, communities, cooperatives, and stakeholders to build knowledge and capacity in climate-resilient solutions and productive renewable energy use. This approach aims to ensure sustainable agricultural food systems and bolster local food security. Special emphasis is placed on empowering women and marginalized farmers, enhancing their involvement in project activities to improve income and food security.

The RERAS project is funded by the Royal Government of Norway and being implemented jointly by UNDP (lead organization), ICIMOD, World Food Programme (WFP), Alternative Energy Promotion Centre (AEPC) and Local Initiatives for Biodiversity, Research and Development (LI-BIRD).