On February 18, 2025, a Global Webinar on Climate Change was hosted by the Australian Volunteers Program, Melbourne, Australia. Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) working in the climate change sector from Nepal and Mongolia were the panelists in the webinar. Ms. Suchita Shrestha, Deputy Director of The Small Earth Nepal (SEN) was one of the speakers, shared the insights on how climate change is impacting communities in Nepal and how SEN is trying to address these challenges through research, awareness, and collaboration.
During the panel discussion, Ms. Shrestha emphasized the SEN’s approach of three key pillars – Research, Capacity building, and Awareness & Advocacy. Highlighting SEN’s experience of working with the small holder farmers, one of the most vulnerable communities, due to the impact of climate change, she briefly explained research findings that show how the precipitation is shifting from snow to rain in the high mountains, reducing snow accumulation and affecting winter crops and water availability. She stressed “Erratic weather patterns are becoming the new normal, and smallholder farmers are left vulnerable without proper irrigation systems or access to accurate weather information, she also mentioned the issues of drying springs in mid-hills communities for which SEN is implementing Nature based Solutions (NbS) for spring recharge, increasing water storages and hence improving water availability”.
Upon being asked what adaptation efforts are being implemented by SEN, Ms. Shrestha touched upon few important adaptation initiatives including promoting climate smart agriculture and water management in particular and informing hydro-met and climate information for mitigation of climate induced disasters. She highlighted SEN’s flagship projects of disseminating 3 days weather forecasts and agro advisory bulletins to the farmers for their adaptation in changing weather patterns and she talked about the fog water harvesting project in water scarce regions.
Ms. Shrestha highlighted various climate change related awareness initiatives SEN has implemented including the flagship program “Nepal National Water and Weather Week” held in the month of March every year and emphasized the power of partnerships in driving meaningful action. She remarked that the collaboration and partnership is central to SEN’s strategy. Suchita said, “Our work is a result of partnerships across all levels—local communities, government agencies, academic institutions, international development partners, and private sectors”. She also illustrated SEN’s partnership with international universities and academic institutions for important research on precipitation shifts in South Asia and China and river discharge measurement of Nepal’s major rivers in collaboration with Saint Louis University in the US. She remarked that the collaborations with scientific institutions have helped SEN produce research outcomes that inform policy decisions and community action plans. She further explained that SEN prioritizes working at both grassroots community engagement and policy levels for resilience-building through systemic change. Besides, SEN also works in the capacity building of early career youths in the issues of climate change.
In her closing remarks, Suchita outlined essential actions that concerned authorities can take to build resilience against climate change including –(i) making weather forecasts and climate advisories available to smallholder farmers and disaster-prone communities and (ii) strengthening the knowledge and skills of farmers, local governments, and community-based organizations to better prepare for climate hazards.
