Climate-smart agriculture: learning from three agro-ecological regions of Nepal

The report examines the application of climate-smart agriculture (CSA) in Nepal's Terai, mid-hills, and high hills regions, emphasizing the need for interventions tailored to local contexts and socially disaggregated vulnerabilities. Key findings highlight that farmers are more likely to adopt technologies with multiple benefits—such as improved cattle sheds for manure management or rice-and-duck farming—when they are delivered as integrated packages rather than in isolation. The report argues that sustainability is enhanced through local ownership, mandatory community contributions, and strategic partnerships between NGOs, the private sector, and government extension offices. It specifically notes the differing priorities between dalit households, who focus on food and nutrition security, and janajati households, who prioritize market-driven commercial production.

• Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) interventions are most successful when they are designed using socially disaggregated vulnerability assessments and tailored to the specific local context and climate risks of a community.
• Farmers show a higher rate of acceptance for CSA technologies that provide multiple simultaneous benefits and fit into their existing integrated agricultural systems, such as cattle-shed improvements that enhance soil quality, increase crop production, and reduce chemical fertilizer use.
• Promoting CSA technologies as a complementary 'package' or portfolio of measures is more effective and sustainable than introducing individual technologies in isolation.
• The adoption of specific CSA practices varies by ethnic and social group based on landholdings and priorities; for example, dalit households in Ghanapokhara prioritized food and nutrition security, while janajati households prioritized market-driven commercial production of coffee, cardamom, and vegetables.
• Sustainability of CSA is improved by moving away from full subsidies toward a model of local ownership involving mandatory cash or in-kind contributions from community groups and households.
• Effective scaling of CSA requires a multi-stakeholder approach where NGOs, government extension offices, and the private sector leverage each other's resources, such as the partnership between LI-BIRD and SMILES to deliver SMS-based agro-advisories.

APA

Thapa, K., Bhatta, K., Bhattarai, B., & Gurung, K. D. (2016). Climate-smart agriculture: learning from three agro-ecological regions of Nepal. Climate and Development Knowledge Network. http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/CDKN_Climate-smart-agriculture_Nepal_web-final.pdf

Chicago

Thapa, Keshab, Kiran Bhatta, Bhawana Bhattarai, and Karma Dolma Gurung. Climate-smart agriculture: learning from three agro-ecological regions of Nepal. Climate and Development Knowledge Network, 2016. http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/CDKN_Climate-smart-agriculture_Nepal_web-final.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Thapa |first1=Keshab |last2=Bhatta |first2=Kiran |last3=Bhattarai |first3=Bhawana |last4=Gurung |first4=Karma Dolma |title=Climate-smart agriculture: learning from three agro-ecological regions of Nepal |publisher=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |date=July 2016 |url=http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/CDKN_Climate-smart-agriculture_Nepal_web-final.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{thapa2016climatesmart, author = {Thapa, Keshab and Bhatta, Kiran and Bhattarai, Bhawana and Gurung, Karma Dolma}, title = {{Climate-smart agriculture: learning from three agro-ecological regions of Nepal}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2016}, month = jul, url = {http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/CDKN_Climate-smart-agriculture_Nepal_web-final.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }