Provincial and local governments are playing an increasingly important role under Nepal’s federal structure, and this opens more space for locally developed policy as well as local citizen engagement.

Karnali Province in western Nepal made a policy commitment in 2018 to support sustainable agricultural development and has been promoting organic and agroecological agriculture. ICIMOD and other partners in the Green Resilient Agricultural Productive Ecosystems (GRAPE) Project have been supporting the provincial government to develop climate-resilient agriculture (CRA) solutions, train staff and arrange visits to other authorities managing similar transitions, including in Bhutan and India (Sikkim). The collaboration saw a network of 19 new Community Learning Centres (CLCs) set up in Karnali and Sudurpashchim provinces for the co-development, testing and demonstration of technologies and approaches with farmers.

The provincial government went on to ask GRAPE/ICIMOD to provide technical assistance for a new Karnali Agricultural Development Strategy focussing on CRA, including Nature-based Solutions, management of springsheds and rangelands, and commitment to social inclusion and gender equality. The provincial government and the Nepal Ministry of Land Management, Agriculture, and Cooperatives have now budgeted five million NPR (USD37,000) for climate-resilient and agroecological practices in Karnali.