Practical Action support farming communities in Nepal through climate innovation

Through their three-year UK Aid Match project, Practical Action has supported Nepali farmers to take charge of their futures, adopting sustainable agricultural practices to overcome climate challenges and improve their livelihoods.

In rural Nepal, smallholder farmers – particularly women – face immense challenges as unpredictable rainfall, extended droughts, and rising temperatures restrict farming options and therefore limit their income. However, with the introduction of innovative climate-smart practices, farmers are adapting and thriving.

With funds raised through their UK Aid Match appeal, Practical Action has established climate field schools across three rural districts in Nepal. These schools are each led by a trained farmer ‘leader’, who provides knowledge and training on commercial vegetable farming, agroecology and regenerative agricultural practices. More than 1,000 farmer leaders are now using sustainable techniques like composting and bio-fertilizers to improve soil health and decrease reliance on chemical pesticides. Some of the climate schools introduced devices such as electric corn shellers and farm rakes, saving farmers valuable time and labour, giving them the opportunity to participate in other activities within the community.

Photograph: Farmers collecting tomatoes from their tomato plants

The programme has also improved water access by introducing an innovative solar-powered irrigation system. This has enabled farmers to be more productive and grow crops across all weathers, stabilising and increasing their income. Bishnu Oli, a woman farmer from Pariwartan village, said:

“We used to face severe water shortages, with no access to water, and the drought felt endless. We could barely farm and often had to rely on vegetables in the market for a meal. But with the solar irrigation system from the project, we now have water and can grow crops in multiple seasons.”

Photograph: Market operation in Nigalpani, Tribeni

Alongside the introduction of climate smart agriculture, women farmers have been supported to take on leadership roles within their communities and have their voices heard. More than 2,000 women have actively engaged in local government and cooperative planning, implementation, and monitoring activities, strengthening their roles in community decision-making. They have also participated in policy discussions, advocating for community and agricultural improvements.

This emphasis on inclusion and empowerment is key to the programme’s vision of long-term, sustainable change. By equipping farmers with climate-smart techniques, strengthening local leadership through peer-to-peer learning, and empowering women to take on active leadership roles within their communities, the programme is building resilience that will hopefully last into the future. With these tools and knowledge, farmers are not just adapting to climate change but driving change in their lives and communities.

Learn more about the project’s achievements.

In May, the UK Aid Match team travelled to Nepal to visit grant holders and their delivery partners – EMMS International, PHASE Worldwide, Practical Action, United World Schools and WaterAid.

The visits were an opportunity to deepen our understanding of project progress and challenges and to offer support, for example, with safeguarding, reporting expectations, and financial management.

Below is a brief summary of the visits:

EMMS International are supporting people with holistic palliative care through cost-effective and sustainable health and social care services, and empowering family members and groups to provide support, improved healthcare and engender more caring societies.

Our team visited the Palliative Care Centre of Excellence based at the Green Pastures Hospital (GPH) in Pokhara. Here they observed remote mentoring sessions for the Palliative Care Doctors and Community Educators, through the ECHO tele-mentoring system (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes), a crucial forum for shared learning, identification of new palliative care patients and improving quality of patient care.

Visiting one of the rural health posts, our team met Female Community Health Volunteers (FCHV) who highlighted the growing awareness and value placed on palliative care as a holistic approach, which is a significant achievement in a country where the concept of palliative care is still very new.

Photograph: EMMS International, their delivery team and UK Aid Match team members Emma and Bridget outside one of the hospitals

PHASE Worldwide are improving maternal health and reducing malnutrition for 1,000 women and their children in Bajura, Far West of Nepal. This is a difficult location to access, requiring a seven-hour drive on rough terrain, followed by a seven-hour hike, which the Phase team undertake often as part of their work. The region is also prone to natural disasters such as earthquakes and landslides, and these can severely impact delivery of healthcare services.

Despite the contextual challenges and remoteness of the project PHASE is meeting and surpassing many of its project goals, and it was great to discuss this with them. The team has delivered safe motherhood training to 891 women and is seeing increasing rates of exclusive breastfeeding as a result (amongst other changes). The project also supports a range of agricultural skills training to help increase food production and dietary diversification for pregnant women and new mothers.

Photograph: A mother feeding her child a nutritious meal

Practical Action are working with women and marginalised groups in three rural districts in Nepal to build climate adaptive farming opportunities and improve livelihoods. 

Having visited some of the project sites previously (in 2022), our team utilised this second visit to meet Practical Action project staff in their offices in Kathmandu. The project team shared updates and explored ways to further communicate the positive impacts of the project as it moves into its final stages.  

The project has improved water access through innovative solar-powered irrigation systems, and has helped establish climate field schools which provide farmers with training on commercial vegetable farming, agroecology and regenerative agricultural practices. Some of the climate schools have introduced labour-saving devices such as electric corn shellers and farm rakes, helping women feel more empowered as they save valuable time and labour.

The project also has strong connections with district and regional private sector actors and traders which is a significant strength of the design. These linkages will be crucial for ensuring sustainability as the project comes to an end.

Practical Action are sharing more about this project at the COP29 talks in November, using it as a working example of how to achieve systematic change at scale.

United World Schools (UWS) are supporting children to enrol and stay in school in remote regions of Nepal, while developing education facilities, school management structures and supporting teacher employment and training.

During the visit it was clear that the positive collaboration between local government stakeholders (education offices) and the UWS team is a key strength of the project and the broader work of UWS, helping facilitate innovative educational initiatives.

The school communities appeared vibrant and supportive, with strong engagement from mothers, School Management Committees (SMCs), and Student Representative Councils (SRCs). These groups play a pivotal role in fostering a positive learning environment and nurturing the holistic development of students. The investment in infrastructure was also evident, with well-maintained school buildings, well-equipped classrooms, and productive teacher spaces, all contributing to an enriching educational experience.

Photograph: Members of our team visiting UWS Koksha School, Tumlingtar

WaterAid is enhancing the quality of learning environments for adolescent girls and children with disabilities in targeted schools of Bardiya. They are collaborating with schools, the broader community and authorities to improve access to sustainable, inclusive WASH services and menstrual health.

While the project experienced some delays in its first year, it was encouraging to learn about the progress being made and the positive direction of activities. The team highlighted that good coordination is developing with key stakeholders, such as The Ministry of Education. Menstrual health awareness training for teachers and local government staff has also started.

In the coming period, the project plans to install a new school water system, including a deep borehole, a water pump with bio sand filters, and dedicated handwashing and drinking stations.

Photograph: Sandhya, a participant in the project

A thank you

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the organisations and individuals involved with these visits. We really appreciated all your time and continued hard work.