Research on World Agricultural Economy

Climate Adaptation in Rain-fed Agriculture: Analyzing the Determinants of Supplemental Irrigation Practices in Nepal

Ganesh Raj Joshi

Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Management, Agriculture and Forestry University, Rampur, Chitwan, Nepal

Ramchandra Bhandari

Institute for Technology and Resources Management in the Tropics and Subtropics, University of Applied Sciences, Cologne, Germany

DOI: https://doi.org/10.36956/rwae.v3i4.761

Received: 2 November 2022; Received in revised form: 11 December 2022; Accepted: 19 December 2022; Published: 30 December 2022

---

Abstract

Climate change has severely impacted the rain-fed agricultural production system which is dominant in Nepal. This situation demands implementable strategies like supplemental irrigation for mitigating adverse impacts. In spite of the importance of supplemental irrigation, it is not adopted on a wider scale. Hence, this paper aims to assess perceptions of climate change and identify factors that influence the adoption of supplemental irrigation practices. Climate change impact survey data for Province No. 1 (one of the seven provinces in Nepal) with a sample of 800 households were analyzed by using the probit regression model. The results showed that the majority of the farmers perceived increasing temperature and decreasing precipitation, resulting in climate-induced disasters such as drought. Similarly, only about 27% of the households have adopted supplemental irrigation practices. The significant factors influencing the adoption of supplemental irrigation practices were the household head’s number of years of farming experience and education level, distance to motorable roads, operational size of landholding, membership in community-based organizations, and the perception of changes in summer temperature. Considering the empirical results, it is necessary to undertake research on sustainable practices and develop support measures for scaling up this practice as the adoption of this practice is very low in Province No. 1. The policy and strategy should also emphasize enhancing the capacity of farmers in technical and managerial aspects of supplemental irrigation practices, raising awareness about climate change and its impact, and strengthening community-based organizations for sharing and exchanging knowledge and skills. In addition, creating additional employment opportunities to enhance the income of the farmers for mitigating the capital constraint and increasing investment in infrastructures like roads for improving physical access thereby promoting adoption.

Keywords: Agriculture, Adaptation, Climate, Supplemental irrigation, Perceptions, Nepal

---

References

[1] Agriculture Development Strategy (ADS) [Internet]. Ministry of Agricultural Development, Government of Nepal. Available from: https://www.gafspfund.org/sites/default/files/inline-files/6%20and%207a.%20Nepal_%20Ag%20and%20Food%20Security%20Strategy%20and%20Investment%20Plan.pdf

[2] Economic Survey 2021/22 [Internet]. Ministry of Finance, Government of Nepal. Available from: https://www.mof.gov.np/uploads/document/file/1674635120_Economic_Survey_2022.pdf

[3] Joshi, G.R., Joshi, B., 2019. Climate change impact on the agricultural sector of Nepal: Implications for adaptation and resilience building. Agricultural Transformation in Nepal: Trends, Prospects, and Policy Options. Springer Nature: Singapore. pp. 119-155.

[4] Climate risk country profile Nepal [Internet]. ADB; 2021. Available from: https://www.adb.org/publications/climate-risk-country-profile-nepal

[5] Global Climate Risk Index 2021. Who Suffers Most from Extreme Weather Events? Weather-related Loss Events in 2019 and 2000-2019 [Internet]. Germanwatch; 2021. Available from: https://www.germanwatch.org/en/19777

[6] MoFE, 2021. Third national communication report. Ministry of Forests and Environment, Government of Nepal.

[7] MoFE, 2021. Vulnerability and risk assessment and identifying adaptation options: Sectoral report-agriculture and food security. Ministry of Forests and Environment, Government of Nepal.

[8] MoSTE, 2014. Economic assessment of the climate change of the key sectors in Nepal, Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment, IDS Nepal, PAC and GCAP.

[9] CIAT, World Bank, CCAFS and LI-BIRD, 2017. Climate-smart agriculture in Nepal, CSA country profiles for Asia series, International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT); The World Bank; CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS); Local Initiatives for Biodiversity Research and Development (LI-BIRD). Washington, D.C.

[10] Water in Agriculture [Internet]. World Bank; 2022. Available from: https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/water-in-agriculture#1

[11] Joshi, G.R., 2018. Agricultural economy of Nepal: Development challenges & opportunities. Sustainable Research: Kathmandu Nepal.

[12] Thapa, Y.B., Pokhrel, A., 2003. Factors affecting adoption of improved agricultural practices in Nepal (Memo 2003, submitted to Asian Development Bank under project TA 3451 NP).

[13] Oweis, T., Hachum, A., 2003. Improving water productivity in the dry areas of West Asia and North Africa. Water productivity in agriculture: Limits and opportunities for improvement. CAB International: US. pp. 179-197.

[14] Nangia, V., Oweis, T., Kemeze, F.H., 2018. Supplemental Irrigation: A Promising Climate-smart Practice for Dryland Agriculture [Internet]. Available from: https://www.fao.org/3/I9022EN/i9022en.pdf

[15] Myeni, L., Moeletsi, M., 2020. Factors determining the adoption of strategies used by smallholder farmers to cope with climate variability in the Eastern Free State, South Africa. Sustainability. 10, 410.

[16] Progress Report, FY 2020/21 [Internet]. Ministry of Physical Infrastructure Development, Nepal. Available from: http://www.mopit.gov.np

[17] Sharma, S., Khadka, N., Hamal, K., et al., 2020. Spatial and temporal analysis of precipitation and its extremities in seven provinces of Nepal (2001-2016). Applied Ecology and Environmental Sciences. 8(2), 64-73.

[18] Nepal, S., 2016. Impacts of climate change on the hydrological regime of the Koshi river basin in the Himalayan region. Journal of Hydro-Environment Research. 10, 76-89. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jher.2015.12.001

[19] Shrestha, S., Bajracharya, A.R., Babel, M.S., 2016. Assessment of risks due to climate change for the Upper Tamakoshi Hydropower Project in Nepal. Climate Risk Management. 14, 27-41. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crm.2016.08.002

[20] Agarwal, A., Babel, M.S., Maskey, S., et al., 2016. Analysis of temperature projections in the Koshi River Basin, Nepal. Journal of Hydrology. 36, 266-279. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2014.03.047

[21] National Adaptation Plan [Internet]. Government of Nepal. Available from: https://unfccc.int/sites/default/files/resource/NAP_Nepal.pdf

[22] National Climate Change Impact Survey 2016: A Statistical Report [Internet]. Central Bureau of Statistics, Government of Nepal; 2017. Available from: https://climate.mohp.gov.np/downloads/National_Climate_Change_Impact_Survey_Report_2016.pdf

[23] Adesina, A.A., Zinnah, M.M., 1993. Technology characteristics, farmers’ perceptions and adoption decisions: A Tobit model application in Sierra Leone. Agricultural Economics. 9(4), 297-311.

[24] Pokhrel, B.K., Paudel, K.P., Segarra, E., 2018. Factors affecting the choice, intensity, and allocation of irrigation technologies by U.S. cotton farmers. Water. 10(6), 706. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/w10060706

[25] Tan, Y., 2020. Farmer’s adoption tendency towards drought shock, risk-taking networks and modern irrigation technology: Evidence from Zhangye, Gansu, PRC. International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and Management. 12(4), 431-448. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCCSM-11-2019-0063

[26] Awuni, J.A., Azumah, S.B., Donkoh, S.A., 2018. Drivers of adoption intensity of improved agricultural technologies among rice farmers: Evidence from northern Ghana. Review of Agricultural and Applied Economics. 21(2), 48-57.

[27] Pedzisa, T., Rugube, L., Winter-Nelson, A., et al., 2015. Abandonment of conservation agriculture by smallholder farmers in Zimbabwe. Journal of Sustainable Development. 8(1), 69-82.

[28] Micro-level Analysis of Farmers’ Adaptation to Climate Change in Southern Africa. International Food Policy Research Institute; 2007. Discussion Paper 00714. Available from: https://www.ifpri.org/publication/micro-level-analysis-farmers%E2%80%99-adaptation-climate-change-southern-africa

[29] Joshi, B., Ji, W., Joshi, N.B., 2017. Farm households’ perception on climate change and adaptation practices: A case from mountain district of Nepal. International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and Management. 9(4). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCCSM-07-2016-0099

[30] Juana, J.S., Kahaka, Z., Okurut, F.N., 2013. Farmers’ perceptions and adaptations to climate change in Sub-Sahara Africa: A synthesis of empirical studies and implications for public policy in African agriculture. Journal of Agricultural Science. 5(4), 121-135.

[31] Katungi, E., Akankwasa, K., 2010. Community-based organizations and their effect on adoption of agricultural technologies in Uganda: A study of banana pest management technology. Acta Horticulturae. 879, 719-726.

[32] Faruk, M.O., Maharjan, K.L., 2022. Impact of farmers’ participation in community-based organizations on adoption of flood adaptation strategies: A case study in a Char-Land Area of Sirajganj District Bangladesh. Sustainability. 14, 8959. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su14148959

[33] Destau, F., Fenta, M., 2021. Climate change adaptation strategies and their predictors amongst rural farmers in Ambassel district, Northern Ethiopia. Jàmbá: Journal of Disaster Risk Studies. 13(1), 974. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/jamba.v13i1.974

[34] Apata, T.G., Folayan, A., Apata, O.M., et al., 2011. The economic role of Nigeria’s subsistence agriculture in the transition process: Implications for rural development. 85th Annual Conference of the Agricultural Economics Society; 2011 Apr 18-20; Warwick University, U.K.

[35] Deressa, T.T., Hassan, R.M., Ringler, C., et al., 2009. Determinants of farmers’ choice of adaptation methods to climate change in the Nile Basin of Ethiopia. Global Environmental Change. 19, 248-255.