Climate-Smart Agriculture in Nepal

The concept of climate-smart agriculture (CSA) indicates a desire to better integrate agricultural development and climate responsiveness. Under the changing climate and rising food demand, it attempts to achieve food security and broader development goals. CSA focuses on increasing productivity sustainably, strengthening resilience, turning down greenhouse gases, and planning to address tradeoffs and synergies between three pillars: Productivity, adaptation, and mitigation.

Agriculture Contributes to about one-third of gross domestic product (GDP) providing employment opportunities to 74% of the economically active population. Nepal has a broad range of geographical, topography, climate, and environmental circumstances as well as cultural traditions and social groups. This has resulted in the production of diverse products at a time. Nepal ranks 82^nd position out of 113 countries in the Global Food Security where food deprivation is estimated to be 51kcal/person/day. There are significant regional differences in the food supply which are linked to climate change link drought in hill and mountain districts.

Annually, Nepal’s GHG emissions are estimated at 40 megatons of Co₂ including emissions from Land Use Change and Forestry (LUCF). More than half of the country’s total emissions come from the agricultural sector. Of all the agricultural emissions 60% are contributed to enteric fermentation and manure management from livestock production. Similarly, 24% of agricultural emissions result from cropping practices including rice cultivation, crop residues, burning of crop residues, and use of synthetic fertilizers. Different Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) includes:

• ·      Precision Nutrients Management in cereals and rice improving the timing, placement, rate, and sources of fertilizer
• ·      Improved water and irrigation management for rice, vegetables, potato, and sugar cane using wastewater collection and rainwater harvesting techniques, or implementing efficient irrigation in rice, or micro-irrigation in vegetables.
• ·      Soil Conservation techniques such as zero-tillage, sowing, and conservation agriculture
• ·      Crop Intensification techniques like legume intercropping or mixed cropping in cereals, sugarcane, or lentils
• ·      Improved planting and management of crops through the integration of beekeeping for supplementary pollination, integrated pest management (IPM)

Source:

https://climateknowledgeportal.worldbank.org/sites/default/files/2019-06/CSA_Profile_Nepal.pdfferences: