Assessment of municipality roles in adaptation to climate change: A case study from Mangalsen Municipality of Acchham Nepal.

Abstract

This thesis aims to 1) analyze the impact of climate change on agriculture, 2) explore adaptation initiatives being applied and potential ways to cope with it 3) understand Mangalsen Municipality’s role in solving the climate change issues 4) assess climate induce vulnerabilities which affect farming communities. 110 household surveys, 30 key informant surveys, 6 focus group discussions, and informal direct field observation were undertaken from 1 December 2021- 30 January 2022 for primary data collection, whereas secondary data were collected from journals, newspapers, and research papers. SPSS and MS excel were used for data analysis and interpretation. The study area's population is highly vulnerable to climate change due to its geographical features, socioeconomic condition, poor infrastructure services, lack of market access and high reliance on agriculture and livestock for their livelihood. The locals have embraced a variety of municipal-level adaptation measures, including farm and crop diversification, cultivation of hybrid varieties or commercial crops, changing plantation and harvest dates of the crops, and conservation of land and water resources. The Municipality is likewise active in implementing climate change initiatives like conservation of local water resources, soil erosion and landslide prevention projects, agriculture biodiversity management projects etc. and also cooperating on running different committees and projects however, it is critical to consider how to bring about the necessary institutional change, raise funds and establish flexible strategies for long-term climate change adaptation in agriculture.