Scaling up Pathways for Climate-Smart Agriculture Technologies and Practices in Nepal

The report assesses 13 'champion' climate-smart agriculture (CSA) technologies in Nepal, including plastic houses, drip irrigation, and solar-based irrigation. It identifies systemic barriers to scaling, such as a lack of skilled service providers, inadequate scientific evidence for diverse agro-ecological zones, and a reliance on project-based rather than sustainable implementation. The document proposes three scaling models—knowledge-transfer, commercial business, and policy-push—and recommends transitioning from scheme-based to performance-based subsidies to better support poor smallholder farmers.

• Despite policy recognition, climate-smart agriculture (CSA) practices are often neglected during actual planning and implementation, and they lack sufficient documentation and integration into extension manuals.
• A significant gap exists in scientific evidence for CSAs across Nepal's various soil types, rainfall patterns, and agro-ecological zones.
• The implementation of CSAs is frequently project-based, which undermines the long-term sustainability of the practices.
• Poor smallholder farmers face financial barriers to adopting expensive technologies, such as zero-tillage machines and solar-pump irrigation.
• The lack of skilled manpower and local service providers hinders the correct installation and maintenance of technologies like plastic houses.
• Plastic house technology allows for year-round tomato production and protects crops from heavy rainfall, but it is hindered by high import taxes on plastic sheets.
• Plastic ponds are an effective adaptation for drought-vulnerable hilly areas, allowing for the collection of grey-water and the cultivation of off-season vegetables.
• Drip irrigation is highly water-efficient (up to 90%) and suitable for dry land agriculture, though it suffers from a lack of reliable local suppliers and technical clogging issues.
• Improved cattle sheds increase soil fertility by collecting urine and manure, reducing the need for chemical nitrogenous fertilizers.
• ICT-based agro-advisories, such as mobile SMS for weather forecasts and market prices, can reduce post-harvest losses and improve farmer decision-making.
• Conservation agriculture (CA) based on minimum tillage, residue retention, and crop rotation reduces greenhouse gas emissions compared to conventional ploughing.
• Solar-based irrigation is a sustainable alternative to diesel pumps in isolated areas, but it remains expensive with high initial investment costs and a lack of government subsidies.

APA

Gurung, A., Basnet, B. B., Paudel, B., Chaudhary, P., & Bhatta, K. (2016). Scaling up Pathways for Climate-Smart Agriculture Technologies and Practices in Nepal. Climate and Development Knowledge Network. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/CSA-Scaling-Up-Pathways.pdf

Chicago

Gurung, Anup, Beni Bahadur Basnet, Bikash Paudel, Pashupati Chaudhary, and Kiran Bhatta. Scaling up Pathways for Climate-Smart Agriculture Technologies and Practices in Nepal. Climate and Development Knowledge Network, 2016. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/CSA-Scaling-Up-Pathways.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Gurung |first1=Anup |last2=Basnet |first2=Beni Bahadur |last3=Paudel |first3=Bikash |last4=Chaudhary |first4=Pashupati |last5=Bhatta |first5=Kiran |title=Scaling up Pathways for Climate-Smart Agriculture Technologies and Practices in Nepal |publisher=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |date=December 2016 |url=https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/CSA-Scaling-Up-Pathways.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{gurung2016scaling, author = {Gurung, Anup and Basnet, Beni Bahadur and Paudel, Bikash and Chaudhary, Pashupati and Bhatta, Kiran}, title = {{Scaling up Pathways for Climate-Smart Agriculture Technologies and Practices in Nepal}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2016}, month = dec, url = {https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/CSA-Scaling-Up-Pathways.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }