Supporting developing countries to integrate the agricultural sectors into National Adaptation Plans: Nepal

Nepal

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Project Overview

Small scale subsistence agriculture employs 78 percent of Nepal’s workforce, with the agriculture sector as a whole contributing to 34.3 percent of national GDP. These farmers are increasingly exposed to climate change induced risks, such as more frequent droughts and floods. In areas of high elevation, climate change, furthermore, intensifies snow and ice cap melting processes, which increases the risk of glacial lake outburst floods. Effective adapation strategies are thus imperative to protect livelihoods and prevent rises in food insecurity – already a reality for 3.4 million Nepalese citizens.

With low literacy rates, widespread poverty and a high dependency on natural resources, there is a limited capacity in Nepal to adapt to future climate change risks. Nepal has welcomed the NAP-Ag Programme and its objectives to protect agricultural production through mainstreaming adaptation activities into national planning and budgeting processes.

Project Details

Adaptation policies

UNDP and FAO aim to support farming communities to identify and implement adaptation strategies, within the context of Nepal’s Agricultural Development Strategy (ADS) 2015 to 2035 as well as its Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Management in Agriculture – Priority Framework for Action 2011- 2020.

At the national level an assessment has been undertaken to identify gaps and entry points to improve climate budgeting in agriculture. Strengthening capacity to undertake economic appraisals of adaptation options, as well as improving tracking and monitoring systems that will enable evidence-based decision making of public expenditures and increase the efficiency of resource mobilisation processes. Capacities also need to be strengthened in the Ministry of Agricultural Development (MoAD) and district authorities to facilitate the intergration of climate change adaptation into the existing Agricultural Development Strategy (ADS) enacted by MoAD.

NAP-Ag activities

Throughout the period 2016 – 2018, the NAP-Ag is aiming to achieve four outcomes; (1) develop an integrated roadmap for the NAP, addressing sector priorities aligned to the ADS; (2) support the integration of adaptation needs in sector policy and programme development while improving evidence-based results for NAPs by developing a robust monitoring and evaluation framework; (3) strengthen technical capacities and institutions; and (4) promote advocacy and knowledge sharing through exchanging of lessons learned.

An opportunity for knowledge sharing will be the stakeholder forum, scheduled for the second half of 2018, where civil society, private sector, and community-based organizations can discuss and validate priorities for climate action in agro-ecological areas.

Support with leveraging climate finance

Increased country support in leveraging climate finance for the implementation of climate change adaptation strategies and frameworks in the agricultural sectors. Assessed gaps and entry points to improve climate budgeting practices and supporting a task force to improve systems for more robust expenditure classification and tracking.

Capacity development for gender mainstreaming

Enhanced capacity for gender mainstreaming through technical training workshops and piloted analytical methods for collecting and using sex-disaggregated data within impact evaluations, monitoring and value chain analysis.

Review of domestic data sources for climate finance

Undertook research to better understand allocations to climate change through national expenditure.

Economic appraisal of adaptation options

Appraised adaptation options and strengthened capacity to conduct vulnerability and impact assessments, including the assessment of gender issues. The assessments seek to facilitate the framing of priority options and programmes on agriculture and ecosystem-based adaptation, and support the mobilization of national and international finance.

Training workshop to increase capacity for gender analysis

Delivered training to increase capacity for gender analysis within the context of field-level vulnerability assessments and adaptation planning. Follow-up activities are being planned in order to build on the training workshops.

Integrating climate change into monitoring and evaluation (M&E) and project planning

Guidelines on integrating climate change into M&E frameworks for prioritised adaptation-sensitive programmes will be elaborated along with a training package and toolkit for officers at both national and subnational levels. Key guideline documents for budgeting are also being revised for different levels of government, linking evidence on effective past spending to new programme proposals.

Signature programmes:

Mainstreaming Adaptation

Key collaborators:

National governments

Implementing agencies and partnering organizations:

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU)

Project status:

Completed

Financing amount:

$1,000,000

News

Nepal - Integrating gender in climate risk assessment and adaptation planning

Nepal launches NAP-Agriculture programme to minimize climate change impacts on agriculture

> Nepal - Integrating gender in climate risk assessment and adaptation planning

30 Oct 2017, Nepal - A three-day workshop on integrating gender in climate risk assessment and adaptation planning at the local level was held in Kathmandu this October as part of the UNDP-FAO NAP-Ag programme. The training sought to strengthen the capacity of the Nepal’s NAP-Ag Project Technical Task-force (PTT) and contractors to integrate gender analysis methods and tools in climate risk assessment and adaptation planning in the agriculture sector.

> Nepal launches NAP-Agriculture programme to minimize climate change impacts on agriculture

October 2105, Nepal - The NAP-Ag programme, jointly organised by the FAO and UNDP, is funded by Germany under its International Climate Initiative and aims to address climate change impacts through adaptation initiatives in the agriculture sector, and build Nepal’s capacity to mobilise funds for longer-term climate initiatives that are linked to Nepal’s Agriculture Development Strategy.

> Agriculture Sectors: Local Climate Impacts by Ms. Ramila Bhandari, Section Officer at MoFALD (The Himalayan Times)

09 August 2017, Nepal - The challenge now is that despite having the mandate to lead local adaptation efforts, both the capacity and resources of local governments for planning and implementing climate-smart agricultural practices are low. This article summarises Nepal's efforts thus far to address these issues, specifically through the National Adaptation Program of Action (NAPA) and the National Framework on Local Adaptation Plan of Action (LAPA), designed to implement NAPA priorities.

> Government investment in climate change paying off, say reports (The Himalayan Times)

07 August 2017, Kathmandu, Nepal - Investment made by the government to help Nepali farmers adapt to climate change is having a positive impact on the income level of farmers, according to recent studies by the Ministry of Agriculture Development, National Disaster Risk Reduction Centre, Freedom Forum and UNDP.

> Nepal’s climate-relevant budget increases seven-fold in the last five years

07 August 2017, Kathmandu, Nepal - A Citizens Climate Budget unveiled in Kathmandu shows an increase in government spending on development programmes that seek to address the impacts of climate change. “Nepal’s Citizens Climate Budget: where is Nepal’s money being allocated?” is the first of its kind publication that visualises budget figures and trends in a set of simplified infographics for public understanding. It uses information from the Ministry of Finance and other government agencies to provide the public with insights into how the national budget is being allocated to address climate change and its effects. It is an effort to make financial information related to climate change accessible in a clear and accessible format for the public.