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Library Climate change, out-migration and agrarian stress: the potential for upscaling small-scale water storage in Nepal.

Climate change, out-migration and agrarian stress: the potential for upscaling small-scale water storage in Nepal.

Climate change, out-migration and agrarian stress: the potential for upscaling small-scale water storage in Nepal.

Resource information

Date of publication
December 2014
Resource Language
ISBN / Resource ID
handle:10568/51399
License of the resource

Climate change could have a critical impact on agriculture in Nepal due to dry-season water shortages, and changes in the variability of water availability and associated uncertainty. This makes water storage systems (most notably ponds and tanks) increasingly important. This report explores the potential role of small-scale water storage infrastructure in two subbasins within the larger Koshi River Basin in central and eastern Nepal, yet shows that upscaling such infrastructure requires an appreciation of the other drivers of change in agriculture aside from climate (e.g., rising cost of living and poor terms of trade for agriculture). It also identifies the social relations and dynamics (distribution of land, water and labor) which could mediate the success of future interventions. It is clear from the research that, while small-scale water storage has the potential to significantly strengthen livelihoods in the Nepali hills, it is necessary to tailor projects to the existing political-economic context.

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Authors and Publishers

Author(s), editor(s), contributor(s)

Bharati, Luna
Maharjan, L.
Janmaat, J.
Price, J. I.
Sherpa, Tashi Yang Chung
Bhattarai, Utsav
Koirala, S.
Timilsina, B.
Gurung, Pabitra

Data Provider
Geographical focus