National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA) to Climate Change.

The National Adaptation Programme of Nepal is a sectoral policy with the following objectives: assess and prioritize climate change vulnerabilities and identify adaptation measures; develop proposals for priority activities; prepare, review and finalize the NAPA document;develop and maintain a knowledge management and learning platform; and develop a multi-stakeholder framework of action on climate change.
In terms of agriculture and food security, local communities have identified changes in climate as being largely responsible for declining crop and livestock production. Nepal's vulnerable subsistence farming economy is facing risk due to changes in the reliability of stream flow, a more intense and potentially erratic monsoon rainfall, and the impacts of flooding. Decline in rainfall from November to April adversely affects the winter and spring crops. Rice yields are particularly sensitive to climatic conditions and these may fall in the western region where a larger population of the poor live and this could threaten overall food security (DFID, 2009). Assessment also shows that climate change is posing a threat to food security due to loss of some local land races and crops. Field observations show that forest ecosystems are deteriorating and biodiversity is suffering from climate change. This is probably related to higher temperatures in lower altitudes, upward shifting of vegetation, encroachment of invasive species and thereby colonization, and increased prevalence of disease and pests. The prolonged winter dry spells has increased the incidence of forest fires that have destroyed large forest areas and forest biomass, and hastening the emission of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Adaptation in ecosystems, and particularly forests, requires the managers (very often the communities) of these natural resources to be aware of climate change effects and an understanding of the long term nature of degradation. Degradation of the ecosystem means loss of the services the society derives from the system.
Management programmes need to be planned and implemented as a matter of urgency to safeguard resources that if lost are difficult if not impossible to restore. Nepal's development goals, and therefore the NAPA framework, are set under the overriding goal of reducing poverty in the country. Poverty is largely rural in nature with a 14% difference between rural and urban poverty. In 2009, urban and rural poverty levels were 8% and 22%, respectively. Poverty occurrence also varies in spatial terms; in 2009, it was 37.4% in the Mid-Western region while it was 1.9% in Kathmandu. A series of National Five-Year Plans and Three-Year Interim Plans aimed to achieve poverty reduction by providing a policy framework that encourages investments in primary sectors that form the backbone of rural development and poverty reduction.
Disaster risk reduction measures being undertaken in Nepal include: construction of embankments, check dams and spurs to limit the negative impacts offloading and river bank cutting; awareness raising programmes, and the development of early warning system; emergency protection, rehabilitation works, geological information system (GIS) development,training, seminar, institutional building, research and provision of insurance; provision of irrigation system to cope with changes in rainfall patterns; piloting of community based flood warning system (NDR, 2009); and mapping of flood hazards. In recognition of the increasing significance of climate change effects in disaster risk in agriculture sector,adaptation practices are being piloted in some districts of Nepal (FAO, 2009). These include rainwater harvesting and soil moisture retention through conservation farming (water harvesting ponds, soil mulching, planting forage/fodder grasses and legume plant/tree species and agroforestry systems); flood mitigation by creating river embankments, planting bamboo and fodder/forage grass, and slope stabilization and management by planting fodder trees, coffee on terraces and hedge row planting. Disaster risk reduction (DRR) practices that have relevance for adaptation include strengthening resilience, diversifying livelihood, planning, providing insurance and developing an early warning system. The urgent and immediate adaptation priority is focused on DRR specifically through community led programmes and initiatives. Annex 11 presents the list of prioritized adaptation options for climate-induced disasters.
Nepal is undergoing a transition from a monarchy dominated governance system to a federal democratic republic system. In addition, preparations are under way to write a new constitution. At this historic juncture, strenuous efforts have been made to generate a comprehensive National Adaptation Programme of Action(NAPA) through genuinely consultative and inclusive processes.