Climatelinks Photo Gallery

Kamala Magar, a farmer from the disadvantaged indigenous Magar ethnic group in Nepal, is a user of the Saripakha Multiple Use Water System (MUS). The MUS provides piped water from a spring source to 20 families for domestic use and vegetable production. The new system saves several hours of labor a day for women and girls who are traditionally tasked with carrying water. The MUS community management plan includes planting trees and building fences to protect the area around the spring. The new trees stock carbon, while piped water reduces the need to burn wood to purify water, thus reducing greenhouse gases. Montview Church, an organization in Denver, Colorado, supported this MUS and iDE—with support from USAID, DFID, the EU, and others—has developed 500 MUS in Nepal, serving 80,000 people.

Kamala Magar is a poor farmer from Saripakha, Kaski District who depends on her small farm and community forest. Kalasha belongs to the Saripakha Multiple Use Water System (MUS) developed by the iDE with support from Montview Church, Denver USA. The Saripakha MUS provides piped water to 20 disadvantaged families for domestic use and vegetable production from a spring source located in the village’s community forest. The approach embeds environmental services with water fees paying a MUS manager to maintain the system and protect the community forest water source. The community has installed a fence and planted additional trees to protect the water source. Kamala is from a disadvantaged ethnic group, she produced vegetables using MUS water improving family nutrition, earning over $300/year, and collects fodder and wood from the community forest. The MUS also saves hours every day for primarily women and girls from carrying water. iDE with support from USAID, DFID, the EU, and others has developed 500 MUS serving 80,000 people; MUS enable farmers to cope with climate change by shifting from risky rainfed agriculture to piped irrigation. Photo by iDE Volunteer, Bimala Rai Colavito.

The Dhapreni Solar lift Multiple Use Water System (MUS) was developed by the iDE led, Anukulan project (2015-19) funded by the UKAID BRACED climate program in Dhapreni in the Kailali District hills. The Dhapreni MUS provides water to 24 disadvantaged families (101 people) for domestic use, vegetable production, and to irrigate orange trees from a spring source located in the village’s community forest. Dhapreni is a solar system (1.5 Kwp) lifting water 112m. The photo shows the drinking water and overflow irrigation tanks. The approach embeds environmental services with water fees paying a manager to maintain the system and protect the community forest water source. The community has installed a fence and protects the community forest. The community depends on orange production, in recent year’s drought has damaged orange production, the Solar MUS enables irrigation to cope with climate change. The MUS also enables the villagers to improve nutrition and income from vegetables, collect fodder and wood from the protected community forest, saves hours for women and girls from carrying water. (Photo by iDE Volunteer, Bimala Rai Colavito)

Kalasha Rawal is a poor farmer from Sisnari, Surkhet District who depends on her small farm and community forest. Kalasha belongs to the Sisnari Multiple Use Water System (MUS) developed by the iDE led, Anukulan project (2015-19) funded by the UKAID BRACED Climate program. The Sisneri MUS provides water to 20 disadvantaged families (81 people) for domestic use and vegetable production from a spring source located in the village’s community forest. The approach embeds environmental services with water fees paying a MUS manager to maintain the system and protect the community forest water source. A fence was installed to protect the community forest and the source. The community planted additional trees, dug a recharge pond, and banned grazing livestock. Kalasha is from a disadvantaged ethnic group, she produced vegetables using MUS water improving family nutrition, earning over $700/year, and collects fodder and wood from the community forest. The earnings allowed her husband to return from India to work on the farm and be with Kalasha and their children. Anukulan developed 200 MUS for 20,000 people. MUS enable farmers to cope with climate change by shifting from risky rainfed agriculture to piped irrigation. (Photo by iDE Volunteer, Bimala Rai Colavito)

Kalasha Rawal is a poor farmer from Sisnari, Surkhet District who depends on her small farm and community forest. Kalasha belongs to the Sisnari Multiple Use Water System (MUS) developed by the iDE led, Anukulan project (2015-19) funded by the UKAID BRACED Climate program. The Sisneri MUS provides water to 20 disadvantaged families (81 people) for domestic use and vegetable production from a spring source located in the village’s community forest. The approach embeds environmental services with water fees paying a MUS manager to maintain the system and protect the community forest water source. A fence was installed to protect the community forest and the source. The community planted additional trees, dug a recharge pond, and banned grazing livestock. Kalasha is from a disadvantaged ethnic group, she produced vegetables using MUS water improving family nutrition, earning over $700/year, and collects fodder and wood from the community forest. The earnings allowed her husband to return from India to work on the farm and be with Kalasha and their children. Anukulan developed 200 MUS for 20,000 people. MUS enable farmers to cope with climate change by shifting from risky rainfed agriculture to piped irrigation. (Photo by iDE Volunteer, Bimala Rai Colavito)

The debate and justification in climate change is going on for years but now they are visible on the ground. This is the picture of a village in Humla District, where the community is facing changed patterns of precipitation and adapting to changes by changing the roof type. This community used to have flat mud roofs that are now turned into tin roofs to combat changing precipitation patterns. Picture location: Humla District, Nepal, 2018 USAID supported program: Paani/DAI

Climate change is imposing stress on water availability in mountain localities in Nepal. Marginalized households with limited land holding are getting more vulnerable due to climate change and its impact on water availability. So men are migrating in search of alternative livelihood options while women are also coming upfront in professions that were previously considered only for men. This is helping then to earn bread from their family and to be empowered in a sense while adapting to change.
Activity Depicted : Woman involved in gravel extraction
Picture Location: Humla District Nepal, 2018
USAID supported program: Paani/DAI

The photo shows a tap stand from the Majhigaun Sisnari Multiple Use Water System (MUS) in Sisneri Surkhet District. MUS are designed to provide water for domestic and agricultural use, helping community’s cope with climate change caused erratic rainfall and drought. This MUS was facilitated by the The Anukulan Project (2015-19) implemented by iDE, supported by UKAID’s flagship global BRACED climate program. The MUS serves 20 families (81 people), the cash cost was $3,000 ($150/HH) 60% was from local government through a climate adaptation fund and 40% by Anukulan. The community also provided $4,200 in labor and local materials. The MUS has increased average household income from agriculture by $328/year, improved nutrition, improved sanitation/hygiene enabling families to use latrines. It has also greatly reduced the time women and girls need to carry water, more than compensating for the time needed to grow crops and enabling girls time to attend school. Kalasha Rawal (far left) from a disadvantaged group increased her income by $700/year. Before the MUS she produced only enough food for 3-4 months. Now Kalasha’s husband has returned from working in India to help producing vegetables and taking care of their young daughter. Photo by Bimala Rai Colavito, iDE Volunteer, February 2, 2018.

Kalasha Rawal is a poor small farmer from the Sisnari, Surkhet District. The farm provides enough cereals for 3-4 months a year, forcing Kalasha’s husband to leave the village to work in India. The Anukulan Project (2015-19), implemented by iDE, is supported by UKAID’s flagship BRACED climate program. The project helped Kalasha to improve her family’s nutrition, food security, income, and resilience. Using the Commercial Pocket Approach (CPA), Anukulan developed a collection center for market access and services and last-mile Community Business Facilitators (CBFs), plant doctors marketing climate-smart agricultural technologies. Through the local adaptation plan, Anukulan facilitated a Multiple Use Water System (MUS) designed to provide sufficient water for domestic and agricultural use, helping the community cope with climate change caused by erratic rainfall and drought. The photo shows Kalasha growing vegetables using climate-smart agriculture technologies, including drip irrigation to conserve water, a safe yellow sticky trap protecting from increased pest problems caused by climate change, and a tunnel. Kalasha was able to increase her annual income by $700, enabling her husband to return to Nepal. They now work together growing vegetables and raising their daughter. Photo by Bimala Rai Colavito, iDE Volunteer, February 3, 2018.

A young woman from Dailekh, Nepal is on her way to collect drinking water from a spring near her village in June 2019. Although there are communal water taps in the village, villagers prefer getting drinking water from a source spring because the tank water that runs through the taps is not cool enough. So, everyday she walks to the spring, fills up her bottles and carries the water back to her home. Such springs are a major source of drinking water in Nepal, however, climate change is threatening villagers livelihoods by drying them out. This is seriously affecting communities dependent on springs for drinking water throughout the most vulnerable regions in Nepal. IWMI’s work to provide solutions to this growing issue is conducted with the DFAT Water for Women fund.

Ganesh Rokaya (Left) and Deepa Poudel (Right) are Community Business Facilitators (CBFs) and Plant Doctors in Surkhet District Nepal. Together they are conducting a Plant Clinic diagnosing samples to recommend safe Integrated Pest Management (IPM) bio solutions for disease and pest problems that are made worse by climate change. CBFs earn commissions on agro sales and provide training to smallholder customers. Ganesh and Deepa each earn about $1,100/year working part time as CBFs, providing services respectively to 750 and 800 mainly women smallholder customers respectively. On average they help their customers earn over $450/year selling vegetables. Ganesh and Deepa were trained to be CBFs by the USAID IPM Innovation Lab (IPM-IL, 2015-19) led Globally by Virginia Tech and in Nepal by partner iDE. They use IPM-based recommendations developed by the IPM-IL working with Government. The IPM-IL in partnership with the global CABI Plant Wise program trained 44 CBFs to become Plant Doctors. Plant Doctors receive intensive training, have access to online databases, and are backstopped by Nepal’s plant protection services. Ganesh and Deepa have extended safe technologies to successfully control the devastating exotic Tuta Absoluta Tomato pest that arrived in 2016. (Photo by Bimala Rai Colavito, iDE Volunteer, 12/31/18)

A young girl from Parsa Rural Municipality in Sarlahi pumps water from a tube well at her house in June 2019. Young girls in Nepal such as this one often hold the familial responsibility of procuring water for their household. As climate change increasingly threatens water supplies in Nepal this responsibility is becoming more and more burdensome, reinforcing unequal gender divisions of labour and marginalizing girls from economic activities. IWMI’s work to combat such discords is completed in partnership with the DFAT Water for Women Fund.

An International Water Management Institute (IWMI) colleague inspects a rural village water tank built in Shikharpur, Baitadi, Nepal in 2017. Climate change is drying out many of the mountain springs in Western Nepal, forcing rural villages to adapt and find new water sources. Water tanks ensure a stable water supply for entire villages even as spring flow depletes. Building Climate Resilience of Watersheds in Mountain Eco-Regions (BCRWME) is the first component of Strategic Program for Climate Resilience (SPCR) of Nepal. The project is carried out by IWMI, along with the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Nordic Development Fund, and the Department of Soil Conservation and Watershed Management.

Rupa Thapa (left) is a Community Business Facilitator (CBF) and Plant Doctor in Lele, Lalitpur District Nepal. Rupa is conducting a Plant Clinic diagnosing samples to recommend safe Integrated Pest Management (IPM) bio solutions for disease and pest problems that are made worse by climate change. CBF Rupa earns a commission on agro input sales and provides training to her 600 small farmer customers (420 are women). Rupa earns $1,300/year working part time. Rupa’s 600 customers earn over $400/year selling vegetables, in aggregate over $240,000/year, greatly benefiting the community. Rupa was trained to be CBF by the USAID IPM Innovation Lab (IPM-IL, 2015-19) led Globally by Virginia Tech and in Nepal by partner iDE. Rupa uses IPM based recommendations developed by the IPM-IL working with Government. The IPM-IL in partnership with the global CABI Plant Wise program trained Rupa and 43 other CBFs to become Plant Doctors. Plant Doctors receive intensive training, have access to online databases, and are backstopped by Nepal’s plant protection services. Rupa has extended safe technologies to successfully control the devastating exotic Tuta Absoluta Tomato pest that arrived in Nepal in 2016. (Photo by Bimala Rai Colavito, iDE Volunteer, December 31, 2018.

Pabitra Sharma is a Community Business Facilitator (CBF) and Plant Doctor in B-Gaun, Banke District Nepal. CBF Pabitra earns a commission on agro sales, including safe bio products for plant protection and she provides training to 585 smallholder customers (410 are women). Pabitra is observing a customer’s pheromone funnel trap with Spodo-lure for the tobacco caterpillar that attacks tomatoes, right is a yellow sticky trap. Climate change increases risk by making plant disease and pest problems worse. Pabitra earns $1,400/year working part time. Pabitra’s 585 customers earn over $430/year selling vegetables, in aggregate over $208,000/year, greatly benefiting the community. Pabitra was trained to be CBF by the USAID IPM Innovation Lab (IPM-IL, 2015-19) led Globally by Virginia Tech and in Nepal by partner iDE. Pabitra uses Integrated Pest Management (IPM) recommendations developed by the IPM-IL working with Government. The IPM-IL in partnership with the global CABI Plant Wise program trained Pabitra and 43 other CBFs to become Plant Doctors. Plant Doctors receive intensive training, have access to online databases, and are backstopped by Nepal’s plant protection services. Pabitra as a Plant Doctor conducts regular Plant Clinics in her community diagnosing samples. (Photo by Bimala Rai Colavito, iDE Volunteer, November 13, 2019.

IWMI and DSCWM staff inspecting a meteorological station built in Shikharpur Baitadi, Nepal in 2017. The station will provide data to better plan and develop climate change mitigation technologies in the countries most vulnerable regions and communities. Building Climate Resilience of Watersheds in Mountain Eco-Regions (BCRWME) is the first component of Strategic Program for Climate Resilience (SPCR) of Nepal. The project is carried out by IWMI, along with ADB, the Nordic Development Fund, and the Department of DSWCM.