Embed Size (px)
DESCRIPTION
Unheard narratives from men and women farmers in Nepal Dr Floriane Clement IWMI-Nepal Mr Pawan Kumar, freelancer IAMCR, 17 July 2014
Citation preview
Phot
o: D
avid
Bra
zier
/IW
MI
Phot
o :T
om v
an C
aken
berg
he/I
WM
IPh
oto
: Dav
id B
razi
er/I
WM
IPh
oto:
Dav
id B
razi
er/I
WM
I
Water for a food-secure worldwww.iwmi.org
Dr Floriane Clement IWMI-Nepal
Mr Pawan Kumar, freelancer
IAMCR, 17 July 2014
Don’t tell us how to adapt to climate change. Unheard narratives from
men and women farmers in Nepal
Photo credit: Pawan Kumar. Himalay films
www.iwmi.org
Water for a food-secure world
Context
• Massive investment on climate change in the academia and development sector
• Climate change debates largely driven by natural scientists
• Aim of most research and development projects in developed countries is to reduce vulnerability and enhance adaptation
www.iwmi.org
Water for a food-secure world
What is vulnerability?
“State of susceptibility to harm from exposure to stresses associated with
environmental and social change and from the absence of capacity to adapt”
(Adger, 2006)
www.iwmi.org
Water for a food-secure world
How to assess vulnerability?• Risk-hazard and entitlement framework
(Ribot, 2010)
www.iwmi.org
Water for a food-secure world
Designing interventions to reduce vulnerability
• Who is vulnerable?• How to support them?
• How do people perceive their own vulnerability?
• What are the trade-offs? (Adger et al. 2005) • How to evaluate success?
www.iwmi.org
Water for a food-secure world
Exploring the causal structures of vulnerability
• Household entitlements and capabilities (Sen, 1981), including claims
• Multi-scale political economy
www.iwmi.org
Water for a food-secure world
Vulnerability and adaptation in Nepal
• How climate change vulnerability and adaptation are framed by national policy-makers and farmers?
• Based on review of policy documents and farmers’ films produced through a participatory video project
www.iwmi.org
Water for a food-secure world
Participatory video project
• 2 groups of 6 men and women farmers from 2 VDCs in Dhanusha District, South Nepal trained to use a video camera
• One-year project with 12 films produced on climatic and societal change in 2013
• Each film includes 3-4 interviews of local people from different social groups
www.iwmi.org
Water for a food-secure world
Methodology
• Combination of focus group discussions, training, interviews, public screening and debates
• Farmers free to choose topics that matter to them: climatic AND societal change
www.iwmi.org
Water for a food-secure world
Engaging a dialogue with policy-makers
Partnership with NEFEJ to develop a TV programme that initiates a dialogue between farmers, experts and policy-makers: Samudayako Aawaj, weekly for 4 months
Youtube: “farmer voices nepal”
www.iwmi.org
Water for a food-secure world
Critical Discourse Analysis
• Rhetorical means: How is vulnerability and adaptation framed? What are the proposed solutions, role and agency of different actors and role of science?
www.iwmi.org
Water for a food-secure world
NAPA (GON 2010) Climate Change Policy (GON 2011)
Perspective Risk hazard approach – impact of CC on different sectors
Risk hazard approach – impact of CC on vulnerable sectors and geographical areas
Causes of vulnerability Natural environment, household characteristics, local context
Natural environment
Type of interventions Framed to address climatic risks and variability onlyTechnical and managerial options (e.g. construction of water storage, adoption of drought-resistant crop varieties and organic farming practices) defined for each sector/domain in isolation
Technical and managerial Enhancing people’s capacity to adapt: “To enhance the climate adaptation and resilience capacity of local communities for optimum utilization of natural resources and their efficient management” and “to improve the living standard of people”
Role of actors Government is to coordinate programmes and deliver public servicesLocal people are to better adapt through increased awareness and adoption of better practices
Government is to coordinate programmes; Scientists to predict likely impacts of CC;Local people are to better adapt
www.iwmi.org
Water for a food-secure world
Farmers’ perspective
(Groundwater)
irrigation
Climate change
Dowry increase
Change in migration patterns
Lack of manpower
Low access to good quality inputs
Farming “impossible”
Poor road facilities
No other employment opportunity
Less cooperation
www.iwmi.org
Water for a food-secure world
The main issue for farmers:“the failure of agriculture”
• “Farming is impossible”• “Nothing seems possible”• “Without migration, men would have eaten
men”• “What to say, we are in trouble here”
www.iwmi.org
Water for a food-secure world
Root causes of vulnerability
• Farmers acknowledge changes in weather but do not link it directly to climate or the natural environment “Plants are drying because of a lack of irrigation”; “Because of a lack of irrigation water, farming is a failure”
• The role of poverty: money helps but does not solve all problems. Money helps the rich to access the public services everyone should get.
www.iwmi.org
Water for a food-secure world
Gender and vulnerability
• Women highlight mental stress (due to migration, loss of social capital and gender norms) as a key cause of vulnerability rather than poverty or increased workload
www.iwmi.org
Water for a food-secure world
Solutions: the role of technology
• Shift from human capital to technology• Technology does not solve all problems • Increased need and expectations for
government support:– Concrete dam, electricity, fuel, inputs…
www.iwmi.org
Water for a food-secure world
Farmers’ solutions
• Irrigation facilities for every 1.3 to 2.7 ha• Receive support on agriculture (access to
agricultural information, support from extension officers, access to good quality input)
• But also: improve the education system; develop non-agricultural employment opportunities through creation of local small scale enterprises and industries
www.iwmi.org
Water for a food-secure world
Role of actors
• Government: to listen to and support farmers by providing services, facilities for agriculture
• Scientists: to develop new crop varieties and communicate these to farmers
• Farmers: to raise their voices and approach relevant government agencies; to turn to non-agricultural activities
www.iwmi.org
Water for a food-secure world
Lessons for Climate Change Interventions
• Starting from people (and not only from hazards) using a vulnerability analysis
• Reconnecting national policies and discourses with farmers’ perception of vulnerability
• Addressing underlying structural causes of vulnerability
• Climate change is both a threat and an opportunity
www.iwmi.org
Water for a food-secure world
THANK YOU
