Climate Change: It’s Causes, Inflicted Hazards, Adopted Strategies and Opportunities in Agriculture of Nepal: A Detailed Review

Abstract

The greatest threat of 21st century, climate change is being deeply studied for its adverse effects and coping strategies by almost all nations of world. Although, detailed studies in developed nations are most common, Nepal lags in its own research and studies for understanding this change. With great geographic, altitudinal, socio-economical and biological variation in Nepal, the need for study of climate change has grown mandatory since farmers are experiencing peculiar unusual cases different from past. Farmers perception and studies remark the changes in temperature, rainfall, weed dynamics, insect, pest and disease outbreak, hazardous events, duration of a season, unpredictability in weather, loss of production and productivity, food insecurity, degradation of soil physical and chemical status, biological losses and alterations. Many adaptative strategies have been put forward locally and from government level that have shown different efficacy in different environment.  Simply put, local site-specific adaptive strategies must be given more importance and prioritization. Financial cringe to tackle climate change must be sorted out and available resources must be put to use by NAPA. Modifications in farm operations, time adjustment and use of modern technology in practices, crop selection, improvement and their cultivation, detailed weather forecasting, soil and water conservation practices, agroforestry, crop rotation, share cropping and off farm engagements have been highlighted. Factors that influence the rate of adoption include age, gender, education and outreach of house head, financial liquidity, size of farms and availability of resources. New opportunities and prospects though revealed, it is still to be utilized.