CONVERGING POLICIES

AND PROGRAMS FOR

SUSTAINABLE AND

CLIMATE RESILIENT

AGRICULTURE - NEPAL

Ganesh R Joshi,PhD

Visiting Professor

CDES, TU

Outline of presentation

• Background/concept

• Framework and Linkages

• Responses in Nepal

• Review of different strategies

• Issues and way forward

Background

• Agriculture – engine of economic growth, in

LDCs/dev’ng Economies

• Agriculture is also a major user of natural capital and

has a considerable impact on the environment.

• UNCSD (2012) in Rio considered the green economy

as one of the essential tools for achieving sustainable

development.

• Called for economically viable sustainable agriculture

to eradicate hunger.

Background..

• Stainable agriculture - conserve land, water, plant

and animal genetic resources, biodiversity and

ecosystems, and enhance resilience to climate

change and natural disasters (UN, 2012)

• Agriculture accounts for 70 percent of water

extracted; covers 40 percent of land area; and,

together with land use change, forest degradation

and deforestation, produces 30 percent of global

GHG emissions.

Background….

SCRA should contribute to

• food security and human welfare

• economic development and poverty reduction;

• maintain and enhance the resilience of the natural

ecosystem functions; and

• addresses the new challenge of climate change.

SCRA should be resource-efficient, promoting

resiliency of the production system, and low-carbon

emitting.

Sustainable Agriculture

• A whole-systems approach to food, feed, and fibreproduction that sustains the health of soils, ecosystems and people.

• It relies on ecological processes, biodiversity and cycles adapted to local conditions, rather than the use of inputs with adverse effects.

• It combines tradition, innovation and science to benefit the shared environment and promote fair relationships and a good quality of life for all involved.

• Inherent in this definition is the idea that sustainability must be extended not only globally but indefinitely in time and to all living organisms including humans.

Adapted from the Ecological Definition of Sustainable Agriculture by Professor Stephen R. Gliessman

SCRA

• SCRA is based on the concept of SA

• It represents an effort to incorporate in the usual work the

new challenges posed by climate change and its impacts

on poor people’s lives.

• It is based on the identification of the major risks and

challenges local communities face, and/or are likely to

face in the near future, and on the design and

implementation of site-specific adaptation strategies.

• This aims at reducing vulnerabilities and increasing the

resilience of the smallholder production systems.

Converging Policies/Programs

• Many sectoral and disciplinary policies and programs to

adapt and mitigate the adverse impacts of CC.

• Agriculture, Forestry, Biodiversity, Disaster risk reduction,

governance/decentralization, energy, land use,

hydropower, irrigation.

• Isolated, fragment approach- unsustainable

• Holistic, and integrated approach-sustainable

• Landscape approaches and incentives for a coordinated

management of various land-based –agriculture/

ecosystem services.

Climate Framework

Climate Impacts Linkages

Responses in Nepal

NAPA

Responses..

Response…

• Climate resilient planning framework developed

• Climate budget code adopted

• Climate change policy formulated

• Pilot project on climate resilience

• Implementation of Local Adaptation Plan of Action ( by National climate change support program)

• Ecosystem based adaptation initiated

• National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan Prepared

• National Strategic Framework (Umbrella Strategy) for Sustainable development (Draft 2014)

• National Low Carbon Economic Devt Strategy (Draft 2014)

Adaptation Options: Agri (NAPA)

Agril. Sector - high impact due to CC, affecting food security and livelihood of poor and vulnerable communities/areas.

• Promotion of crop species and varieties for different eco-development regions vulnerable to climate change

• Promotion of upward-downward linkages facilitates exchange of agriculture goods and services to subsistence farmers dependent on vulnerable eco-systems

• Improved farmers' access to inputs, finance and services strengthens adaptation to climatic hazards

• Promotion of conservation technologies to improve efficiency of depleting natural resources on-farm

• Improved management of soils and green water for increased productivity on farm

• Promotion of improved animal breeds adaptable to climatic uncertainty

Adapt agri..

• Promotion of improved pasture and range lands

management techniques to rehabilitate degraded of

mountain ecological zones

• Diversification of livelihood options improves food security

and adaptive capacity at grassroots

• Improved housing, feeding and parasitic measures to

facilitate climate stress adaptation by farm animals.

• Strengthening green and blue water linkages for improved

fishery productivity under open water systems

• Strengthening adaptive capacity in building resilience at

different levels

Efforts to Reduce Vulnerability of CC

Agricultural sector:

• System of Rice Intensification (SRI); green manure;

• conservation tillage practices; minimum/zero tillage (direct

seeding –wheat and rice)

• use of plastic house and water sprinklers;

• sustainable agriculture soil and water conservation;

• slope stabilization and landslide control; rainwater

harvesting, plastic ponds

• rangeland and forage improvement; cultivation on river

beds and shrub land; livestock shed improvement;

• bio-energy; and adoption of biogas.

These efforts are in initial stage and need further up-scaling

along with other new initiatives.

Adaptation in Agri

• Development of drought resistant varieties;

• Development and extension of agronomic practices;

• Extension of soil and water conservation technologies;

• Improvement in rangeland management and fodder

production;

• Reducing heat stresses in livestock; and

• Disaster risk reduction.

• Organic bio-pesticides, manures/fertilizers

Agril Devt Strategy

Improved Resilience of farmers to CC and Disasters

• Conduct research on stress tolerant varieties and breeds

• Establish an early warning system

• Establish a climate info and weather indexation system

• Promote agril insurance

• Improve capacity of extension and farmers on CSA

practices

• Establish a fund for preparedness and response to

droughts, floods, epidemics

Sustainable farming, GAP,GVHP

• ISFM, IPNM, IPM, org farming, renewable energy

Forestry Sector Strategy (Draft)

• Thematic Area: RESPONDING TO CLIMATE CHANGE

• Purpose

• Strengthen the climate resilience of people, communities, forests and ecosystems and contribute to mitigate global climate change through REDD+ approaches.

A. Adaptation to Climate Change

• Increase awareness and capacity of all stakeholders (CFUGs) to respond to climate change and increase their resiliency.

• Implement the forestry-related provisions (of NAPA and LAPAs) through the participatory, transparent, community-based and gender and socially inclusive approaches

• Adapt and improve forest mgmt plans to enhance forest resilience to CC

• Promote income diversification to amongst the most vulnerable groups

B. Mitigating CC through REDD+• Support REDD+ strategy development and integrate with

poverty alleviation, economic growth and biodiversity

conservation as means to address deforestation and forest

degradation.

• Clarify forest carbon rights and access of local communities

to carbon benefits in an equitable and transparent way

• Scale up and expand the coverage of PES approaches

• Promote commercial approaches to bio-energy and other

alternative energy through community private partnerships

• Support Nepal’s participation in for both regulated/voluntary

carbon markets and ensure equitable benefit sharing to

supports livelihoods of poor and marginalised people

National Low Carbon Econ Devt Strategy,

2014 (Draft)Vision: Low Carbon Green economy promotion

Goal: Self-sufficient in clean energy by 2022 and

accelerated econ growth through green economy by 2030.

Strategy:

• Agri, hydropower and forestry as a base of econ devt

• Research, Development and Dissemination of Climate

Smart Agricultural Technologies

• Support to Low Co2 farming system technologies (RDD)

and awareness raising

• Support to soil Co2 stocking technologies (RDD)

• Emphasis on IPM and IPNS

NLCEDS….• Minimum/Zero tillage technologies

• Increasing water use efficiency

• Devt of low water reqt and submergence tolerant rice varieties

• Agro-forestry practices/system in fallow land

• Use of clean energy in production and processing of agrilcommodities

• Terrace improvement and conservation agriculture

• Carbon sequestration and nutrition improvement through orchards and multiyear crops/commodities

• Stall feeding, silvi-pastoral system

• Breeds improvement

• Improvement of degraded rangelands…

Issues & way forward

CRSA needs to be implemented using an integrated, cross-

sectoral approach to agriculture and food security that links it to

other aspects of sustainable development, poverty reduction and

economic growth.

• Understand/Assess the opportunities and challenges/barriers

• Integration/harmonization with existing policies/

strategies/programs

• Identify/prioritize locally viable CRSA practices

• Role of institutions (at different levels) and their participation

• Strengthening the stakeholders’ capacity

• CRSA Program preparation and implementation (Focused) –

Umbrella program

THANK YOU FOR

YOUR ATTENTION