Climate and Development Outlook

This report outlines several Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) initiatives in Nepal focused on enhancing climate resilience across the agriculture, hydroelectricity, and irrigation sectors, as well as improving the government's capacity to access international climate finance.

• A CDKN-supported project on climate-smart agriculture, managed by LI-BIRD and a CGIAR research programme, identified and tested context-appropriate practices across Nepal's high mountains, mid-hills, and Terai plains. The project aimed to support the livelihoods of two thirds of the population and ensure national food security. While recent policies like the Agriculture Development Strategy (2015) explicitly promote climate-smart agriculture, the report notes that translating these policies into actions supported by budget and human resources remains a challenge.
• A two-year study (2015-2016) on the hydroelectricity sector found that Nepal's current hydropower system is ill-prepared for existing climate and water flow variability. The study suggests that future climate change will primarily impact the sector by increasing hazards such as floods, sediment, and glacial lake outburst floods, rather than affecting average energy generation. The report recommends three adaptation types: immediate actions for current risks, integrating adaptation into new investments (climate smart planning), and early monitoring and research.
• Research on small and medium-scale irrigation systems indicates that while annual rainfall amounts have not changed, shifting patterns have made rainfall less useful for crop cultivation. Key climate impacts include declining water availability for irrigation, increased peak flood flows, and rapidly changing river morphology. The study emphasizes that non-climate factors, such as upstream water use and population growth, also contribute to negative impacts on the sector.
• Nepal is estimated to face an adaptation deficit of approximately US$2.4 billion until 2030. To address this, CDKN supported a project led by the Nepal Development Research Institute (NDRI) and Prakriti Resources Centre (PRC) to help the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Population and Environment improve their capacity to access and utilize international climate finance, including training potential national implementing entities (NIEs).
• A 2014 study on the economic impacts of climate change in Nepal estimated that current climate and water resources variability costs the country between 1.5% and 2% of its current gross domestic product (GDP) annually.

APA

Khanal, R. C., Rais, Z., & Khan, H. R. (2017). Climate and Development Outlook. Climate and Development Knowledge Network. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/NEPAL_Outlook_Web-final-10Mar17.pdf

Chicago

Khanal, Ram Chandra, Zunera Rais, and Hammad Raza Khan. Climate and Development Outlook. Climate and Development Knowledge Network, 2017. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/NEPAL_Outlook_Web-final-10Mar17.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Khanal |first1=Ram Chandra |last2=Rais |first2=Zunera |last3=Khan |first3=Hammad Raza |title=Climate and Development Outlook |publisher=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |date=March 2017 |url=https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/NEPAL_Outlook_Web-final-10Mar17.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{khanal2017climate, author = {Khanal, Ram Chandra and Rais, Zunera and Khan, Hammad Raza}, title = {{Climate and Development Outlook}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2017}, month = mar, url = {https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/NEPAL_Outlook_Web-final-10Mar17.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }