Woman empowerment through climate change adaptation in agriculture
Katari, Udaypur: Reducing vulnerability and increasing adaptive capacity to respond to impacts of climate change and variability for sustainable livelihoods in agriculture sector in Nepal is supported by GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT FACILITY (GEF) under THE LEAST DEVELOPED COUNTRIES FUNDING (LDCF) WINDOW. The project, which is known in short as Climate Change Adaptation in Agriculture (CCA) developed and implemented in line with the Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Reduction Management Priority framework 2011-2020 approved by the Government of Nepal, was commenced in September 2015 and will be completed in August 2019.
Nepal is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change impacts. Climate and its variability is already affecting Nepal’s agriculture sector. The climate related hazards like floods, drought, hailstorms, heat and cold waves; and pests and diseases, soil erosion, deforestation, desertification are recurring and posing severe threats to the sector. The poor and marginalized rural people are usually hit hardest by the consequences of climate change and increasing frequency of natural hazards. Increasing trends of extreme climate events and natural disasters due to climate change could undermine future food security. Although the Government of Nepal has constantly responded to climate risks, a renewed focus on reducing vulnerability and increasing adaptive capacity to respond to impacts of climate change and variability is crucially needed to save agricultural livelihoods.
Katari Municipality is one of the entities, which come under the project area in the district if Udaypur in the eastern Nepal.
Shobha Magar, 37, a woman farmer, lives in Gabuwa Village of Katari Municipality, with her husband, three daughters and mother-in-law. She is a school drop out after the marriage. After marriage, like most of the women in rural area, was under the pressure of drudgery. She has to manage by herself all the houehold chores along with farming in small patch of land that yields food grains merely enough for 6 months. She along with her husband was toiling hard for their family to make both the end meet. Her husband works as petty contractor organizing small batch of laborers in the construction works. Their land situated under the foot hills Churia which has been under the pressure of degradation for last five decades.
Shobha’s life has changed for the better after her village was brought under the project area. The project was launched in Udaypur district by the joint initiative of the Govt of Nepal and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). She was selected for a 13-day training of facilitators. After the training, she has been actively working in one of the 30 farmers’ groups in Udaypur district that has been affiliated to the Farmer Field School in 2016.
The group members were taught about the varietal qualities of wheat, maize and rice. They were also given training on the vegetable farming. One of the new technology they have learnt is the riverbed farming.
Underlining difficulties in making the village farmers believe in vegetable farming in the riverbeds, Shobha said, “The villagers were prompted even for baiting by suspecting the success of the riverbed farming.”
“Now, the same villagers were happy to see success of riverbed farming where they have grown cucumber, pumpkins, bitter gourd etc.” says Shobha, "Even my mother-in-law, who was initially reluctant for vegetable farming, has been encouraging the village women for vegetable farming."
Expressing happiness over her mother-in-law’s positive attitude, Shobha said, “Previously, my movements were restricted by her. Now, after noticing my quality of leadership that I gained through the farmers’ field school, she encourages me to teach other women what I have learnt.”
“We are earning and making small saving from the income we make by selling vegetables”, says Shobha.
The project has also given the villagers training on pig raising. Shobha was given a female pig that delivered 13 piglets after 5 months. She sold male piglets at the rate of NPR 3 000 and female ones at the rate of NPR 2 500.
According to Anju Adhikari, District Technical Coordinator of the Project, the adaptation method of farming has brought down drudgery of women with application of zero tillage machines as well as mulching process in plantation. The Farmers’ Field School has developed the capacity of women to provide the leadership in the group and also they have found new source of income.