There are various kinds of hybrids. The most common are the intra-specific (cross within a species) and inter-specific (cross between different species) hybrids. However, the offspring of an inter-specific cross are very often sterile that prevents the movement of genes from one species to another. It happens due to the different chromosome number of parental species resulting into an extra chromosome in the offspring that disrupts meiosis, the process of forming viable sperms or eggs through cell division. The common examples are mules (crosses of female horse and male donkey), hinnies (crosses of male horse and female donkey).
Plants hybridize frequently without much work, so they are often created by humans to produce improved plants in terms of more production or quality improvement or winter or heat hardy, etc. Most of the hybrids produced so far are more disease resistant plants.
The hybrid varieties of crops, and breeds of animals developed in the 1970s and after, along with intensive management (feeds, antibiotics and probiotics, chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and heavy farm equipments) practices, have contributed to many fold increase in the production per unit area especially in the developed and developing countries contributing to food security of the rapidly increasing population. This is named Green Revolution. However, over the time with the changed climate, hybrids and the entire green revolution technologies have degraded ecosystems and the environment, eroded crop and animal genetic diversity, made the soil dead (not suitable for farming), failed yields, and in the developing countries contributed to farmers committing suicides.
When green revolution agriculture (hybrid seeds, chemical fertilizers, and heavy mechanics) is already proved to be unsustainable, farmers in countries like Nepal are compelled to use and get used to hybrids. It is highly proposed by the development organizations and easily accepted by our policy makers. But, it contradicts with the Agro-biodiversity Policy of Nepal that encourages the strategies to maintain agro-ecosystem balance, thereby enhancing plant and animal genetic diversity, and discourages the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
The current discussion about the promotion of hybrid maize to the farmers of high production potential areas has drawn the attention of small farmers, civil society organizations and policy makers in Nepal. At the moment, a rational analysis of promoting hybrids developed by the Multi National Company (MNCs) like Monsanto is must. But, the reality is that it will have more negative implications for the Nepalese agrarian society in a number of ways.
Hybrids perform well only under intensive management in uniform microclimate, application of chemical fertilizers and pesticides and appropriate harvesting and post harvest technologies. Intensive management increases the cost of production, and is sometimes unaffordable for our farmers. It also cannot withstand the different microclimatic conditions of Nepal-terai, midhill, and high mountain, which is more unpredictable because of climate change and the associated hazards such as drought, erratic rainfall, etc.
Given the economic situation of Nepalese farmers, with more than 70 per cent of the population living on less than US$ 2 a day, even being able to afford hybrid seeds (forget about management) is a tall task. Moreover, the hybrid seed production are out of the farmers’ contro,l and unlike open pollinated varieties, the seeds from hybrid varieties give off-type plants if grown the next time.
Furthermore, gradual dominance of hybrid varieties will increase the loss of local and open pollinated varieties of crops such as maize. It will increase the vulnerability of farming communities to deal with the impacts of climate change. Hybrids that demand more unnatural inputs that destroy our productive and diversity rich ecosystems. In Nepal, more than 90 per cent of the seeds are supplied through the informal system. It means farmer-to-farmer seed exchange are predominant in Nepal, which is contributing to maintain the crop and animal genetic diversity in Nepal. It is not only restricted to seed exchange, but strengthens other informal relationships that enhance social harmony, exchange and transfer of traditional and indigenous knowledge, knowledge and practices.
In addition, we have several cases of crop yield loss, because of the introduction of hybrid seeds.
The developed nations and their companies, which have realized the negative effects of such crops in their system, are now expanding their business to least-developed countries. They will certainly gain in terms of reputation (as support) as well as returns from the sale, but, we will certainly be the losers of our diversity, culture, informal relationship, our money and our dignity.
There are several cases of farmers being breeders of their varieties through participatory breeding approaches to increase their crops’ productivity and maintain biodiversity.
(Note: This article was published in The Himalayan Times Daily on 16-11-2011)
http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Promoting+hybrids&NewsID=309505
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
GOOD LUCK Nepali Delegates: COP 17 and Hopes
International community, especially the vulnerable communities of the most vulnerable countries of the word, has received freak results of the latest meetings of climate negotiation. However, the 17th meeting of the Conference of Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), going to be held from 28 November to 07 December 2011 in Durban, South Africa, is of great hope for a manifesto of fast track and easily accessible finance for adaptation and cutting out of green house gas emissions to avoid the rate of temperature rise to the tipping point, i.e. 1.50C.
The predominant role of developed countries' climate negotiators, from the discussion notes, reveals that they are not vivid in setting their nations' contribution to the adaptation finance as well as committing reduction of their emissions. Unless the governance mechanism of green climate fund while ensuring an easy access of vulnerable countries along with the shared vision of the Bali Action Plan are set transparent and a legally binding agreement is done for post Kyoto based on the current achievement, global negotiation, meeting, and investment on climate change will vain.
In the upcoming COP meeting at Durban, the most vulnerable countries are negotiating through a consortium that includes 48 least developed countries (LDCs) including Nepal, 53 African countries and The Alianza Bolivariana para los Pueblos de Nuestra América (ALBA), an organization for international cooperation among countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The countries in the consortium, realizing the legal framework of UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol, are relaying their voices to the climate negotiators to produce outcomes in lieu with the Bali Roadmap, for an agreed outcome to implement the Convention and a second and subsequent period of the Kyoto Protocol.
According to their common position paper, they are urging Annex I Parties to reduce their emissions by at least 40% and 95% by 2017 and 2050 respectively that is required to maintain global warming below 1.50C, to operationalize adaptation framework under Cancun Adaptation Framework, to facilitate the support of national adaptation plans as mentioned by Nairobi Work Programme, to ensure adaptation to be funded at full cost through direct and easy access, and to urgently address technology transfer and capacity building of/to developing countries.
Nepal is participating in the climate negotiations and COP meetings since the UNFCCC. It has been promulgating climate change issues of least developed countries especially on climate justice and adaptation support to the vulnerable countries to the impacts of climate change.
Climate negotiators of Nepal have been lobbying its adaptation needs and priorities through the National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA) to climate change on basis of polluters pay principle and recognizing the common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities. Though the issues that Nepal raises in the international forum contradict with its climate change policy as well as the adaptation implementation framework recommended by NAPA, it should negotiate for an increased flow of adaptation finance to the national climate change fund of each country as well as draw conference of parties attention on the issues of mountain.
Nepal believes that experience gained in NAPA implementation should be the basis for the formulation of National Adaptation Plans and should be adequately funded to promote medium‐ and long term adaptation planning. This should be either led by the climate change focal point of the parties or the preparation team should preferably work with the multidisciplinary teams of in‐country experts.
In this context, the role of Nepalese delegates is crucial, along with the delegates from other vulnerable countries, to convince their agendas in the meetings with evidences. Their participation in the side events, discussions and formal sessions of the conference should be meaningful rather than just an observer. With hopes, they must communicate to their nationals on the progress of the negotiation and have a lead role on behalf of least developed country in the major discussions and events. And good luck for their meaningful participation and positive take home message.
The predominant role of developed countries' climate negotiators, from the discussion notes, reveals that they are not vivid in setting their nations' contribution to the adaptation finance as well as committing reduction of their emissions. Unless the governance mechanism of green climate fund while ensuring an easy access of vulnerable countries along with the shared vision of the Bali Action Plan are set transparent and a legally binding agreement is done for post Kyoto based on the current achievement, global negotiation, meeting, and investment on climate change will vain.
In the upcoming COP meeting at Durban, the most vulnerable countries are negotiating through a consortium that includes 48 least developed countries (LDCs) including Nepal, 53 African countries and The Alianza Bolivariana para los Pueblos de Nuestra América (ALBA), an organization for international cooperation among countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The countries in the consortium, realizing the legal framework of UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol, are relaying their voices to the climate negotiators to produce outcomes in lieu with the Bali Roadmap, for an agreed outcome to implement the Convention and a second and subsequent period of the Kyoto Protocol.
According to their common position paper, they are urging Annex I Parties to reduce their emissions by at least 40% and 95% by 2017 and 2050 respectively that is required to maintain global warming below 1.50C, to operationalize adaptation framework under Cancun Adaptation Framework, to facilitate the support of national adaptation plans as mentioned by Nairobi Work Programme, to ensure adaptation to be funded at full cost through direct and easy access, and to urgently address technology transfer and capacity building of/to developing countries.
Nepal is participating in the climate negotiations and COP meetings since the UNFCCC. It has been promulgating climate change issues of least developed countries especially on climate justice and adaptation support to the vulnerable countries to the impacts of climate change.
Climate negotiators of Nepal have been lobbying its adaptation needs and priorities through the National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA) to climate change on basis of polluters pay principle and recognizing the common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities. Though the issues that Nepal raises in the international forum contradict with its climate change policy as well as the adaptation implementation framework recommended by NAPA, it should negotiate for an increased flow of adaptation finance to the national climate change fund of each country as well as draw conference of parties attention on the issues of mountain.
Nepal believes that experience gained in NAPA implementation should be the basis for the formulation of National Adaptation Plans and should be adequately funded to promote medium‐ and long term adaptation planning. This should be either led by the climate change focal point of the parties or the preparation team should preferably work with the multidisciplinary teams of in‐country experts.
In this context, the role of Nepalese delegates is crucial, along with the delegates from other vulnerable countries, to convince their agendas in the meetings with evidences. Their participation in the side events, discussions and formal sessions of the conference should be meaningful rather than just an observer. With hopes, they must communicate to their nationals on the progress of the negotiation and have a lead role on behalf of least developed country in the major discussions and events. And good luck for their meaningful participation and positive take home message.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
What Stories and Cultures Do We Celebrate?
Today, August 09, the world is celebrating 18th International Day of the World's Indigenous People. The focus of this year's day is Indigenous designs: celebrating stories and cultures, crafting our own future. In this occasion, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has, in his message, requested all in the world together to celebrate and recognize the stories, cultures and unique identities of indigenous people around the world along with strengthening their rights and supporting their aspirations.
But it is hard to say and yet to predict to the actions on the ground of the commitments made in the conventions related to the rights of indigenous people.
In the havoc of climate change and its impacts, indigenous peoples of the developing and least developed nations are identified as the most vulnerable for which they were (historically) and are not responsible.
However, it is unpredictable on what kind of stories and cultures we are expecting to celebrate with focusing on indigenous designs through enforcing and letting them borrow money in the name of helping those vulnerable for adaptation and resilience. IS THIS JUSTICE? A big question to those who signed the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and are agreeing on the principle of equity, and common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities.
At the national level, it is yet to ensure, in action, the rights of indigenous people on the land, water and natural resources, which they have been managing since generations though there are mediocre efforts to write such rights in the upcoming new constitution. But this is very important to address if we really desire to let others know our nation as the country of diverse and indigenous communities with indigenous designs, and diverse stories and cultures.
For instance, Chepang, an indigenous tribe in Nepal, is still striving to get its right over the shifting cultivation lands, which are still unregistered, this tribe has been using through balancing the food production and natural resource conservation since generation. But these lands are transformed to annual cultivation cycles to support their increased numbers and to protect lands from being named national then they will have no access and control over.
Otherwise, the Forest Act 1993 of Nepal describes national forest as all forests excluding Private Forests within the Kingdom of Nepal, whether marked or unmarked with forest boundary and the term shall also includes waste or uncultivated lands or unregistered lands surrounded by the Forest or situated near the adjoining Forest as well as paths, ponds, lakes, rivers or streams and riverine lands within the forest. So by definition such lands where the indigenous people are managing since generation fall under government land. Nobody has taken care of addressing such issues that directly relate to their livelihoods. Can we think, at this stage of preserving their designs, cultures, and stories?
Nevertheless, in such scenario, on this special day, still there is a hope from the people who believe on diversity, importance and conservation of indigenous cultures and stories to deal with the future uncertainties to collectively advocate on behalf of the indigenous people to aware policy makers to specifically address their real needs and problems, respect their cultures and learn to build resilience in the face of crisis, ensure their access and rights over the natural resources they have been using sustainably, and designing and implementing indigenous people responsive policies, programmes and opportunities.
Let's hope for an equitable society where the rights and voices of indigenous people are mainstreamed in the development and environmental programmes in the world.
But it is hard to say and yet to predict to the actions on the ground of the commitments made in the conventions related to the rights of indigenous people.
In the havoc of climate change and its impacts, indigenous peoples of the developing and least developed nations are identified as the most vulnerable for which they were (historically) and are not responsible.
However, it is unpredictable on what kind of stories and cultures we are expecting to celebrate with focusing on indigenous designs through enforcing and letting them borrow money in the name of helping those vulnerable for adaptation and resilience. IS THIS JUSTICE? A big question to those who signed the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and are agreeing on the principle of equity, and common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities.
At the national level, it is yet to ensure, in action, the rights of indigenous people on the land, water and natural resources, which they have been managing since generations though there are mediocre efforts to write such rights in the upcoming new constitution. But this is very important to address if we really desire to let others know our nation as the country of diverse and indigenous communities with indigenous designs, and diverse stories and cultures.
For instance, Chepang, an indigenous tribe in Nepal, is still striving to get its right over the shifting cultivation lands, which are still unregistered, this tribe has been using through balancing the food production and natural resource conservation since generation. But these lands are transformed to annual cultivation cycles to support their increased numbers and to protect lands from being named national then they will have no access and control over.
Otherwise, the Forest Act 1993 of Nepal describes national forest as all forests excluding Private Forests within the Kingdom of Nepal, whether marked or unmarked with forest boundary and the term shall also includes waste or uncultivated lands or unregistered lands surrounded by the Forest or situated near the adjoining Forest as well as paths, ponds, lakes, rivers or streams and riverine lands within the forest. So by definition such lands where the indigenous people are managing since generation fall under government land. Nobody has taken care of addressing such issues that directly relate to their livelihoods. Can we think, at this stage of preserving their designs, cultures, and stories?
Nevertheless, in such scenario, on this special day, still there is a hope from the people who believe on diversity, importance and conservation of indigenous cultures and stories to deal with the future uncertainties to collectively advocate on behalf of the indigenous people to aware policy makers to specifically address their real needs and problems, respect their cultures and learn to build resilience in the face of crisis, ensure their access and rights over the natural resources they have been using sustainably, and designing and implementing indigenous people responsive policies, programmes and opportunities.
Let's hope for an equitable society where the rights and voices of indigenous people are mainstreamed in the development and environmental programmes in the world.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Key lesson for Nepal from horticulture research and development in India
A talk programme on "Horticulture Research and Development in India: A lesson to learn" was organized at Local Initiatives for Biodiversity, Research and Development (LI-BIRD), Pokhara, Kaski on 10 July 2011. The presenter of the talk programme was Dr. H.P. Singh, Deputy Director General, Horticulture and Agriculture Extension, Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR).
During the programme, Dr. Singh presented the achievements and advancement in the horticultural research and development in India. He presented the significant contribution of Indian agriculture to feed the 18% global population from 2.3% of global land and 4.2% of global water in the face of increasing population (around 9.5 billion), water and land declining, threat of climate change, and food and nutritional insecurity. According to him, this has been achieved because of science led agricultural research and development in world and especially in India.
Still I found Dr. Singh's confidence in saying the growing population can be fed by transforming the current challenges and difficulties into opportunities, which can only be possible through science and technology. Some of the progresses, he cited from India included, crops grown at particular locations which were not grown earlier as well as their ability to feed 1130 million people and having surplus with the many fold increase in production per unit area from the same land for the last 30 years.
In his presentation, he shared some major changed challenges in agriculture sector that needs to be addressed for achieving food security such as
-Complexity of agricultural system, as compared to the simplest traditional system, created due to complexity of pests, technology, and climate change,
-Changing dietary habits of people due to growing health consciousness population,
-Increasing urbanization and transforming agricultural lands into cities,
-Youths' not attracting to traditional agriculture and their migration for non agricultural jobs,
-New tools and techniques such as biotechnology, bioinformatics, and nano technologies, and
-Focus on agricultural diversification such as horticulture, livestock, fisheries, etc.
Though India's transformation from a food deficit to a food surplus country is because of agricultural development and transformation, Dr. Singh mentioned some growing concerns for the developing and developed world and the need of joint effort on feeding growing population, managing land and water quality, responding to climate change, optimizing use of natural resources, addressing growing demand for livestock and horticultural produce, bio-fuels, and malnutrition and increasing agricultural productivity.
In such context, he highlighted on the significant role of horticultural crops to contribute to respond to the growing concerns of food security through diversification and optimum utilization, knowledge based enterprise development and technology based and farmer centric scientific innovations. With such strategies, Dr. Singh believes that horticulture can produce diet/food for daily plate, ensure balanced diet, utilize waste for fuel and fiber, reduce health risks, and manage changed dietary habits, giving an example of drumstick, if eaten can reduce protein deficiency of people.
Dr. Singh also highlighted the research and development mechanisms of India and their contribution for revolutionizing agricultural sector. More importantly, the dynamics of technologies, development initiatives and policy support were presented as the major drivers of changes in Indian agriculture. And in the face of climate change, he believed on technological advancement to respond to the impacts of climate change through more crops per drop (i.e. productive use of water), capacity building, effective utilization of resources, and facilitating accelerated adoption of improved technologies and best practices.
Learning for Nepal
Based on Dr. Singh's presentation and sharing about Nepal, there are ample opportunities for Nepal to learn from Indian advancement in agricultural research and development and specifically on horticulture. For Nepal, Agriculture is the only opportunity for Nepal, where horticulture can be a prime area of improving peoples' livelihood, which can be achieved through
-Proper use of resources and the microclimatic variation
-Functional institutional mechanisms to address the challenges through research, development and extension
-Human resource development for effective use of science and technology
-Partnership mode of working for harnessing diversity of knowledge and experience
-Mission mode approach to address problems
-Integrated approach for effective utilization of resources, and
-Knowledge center establishment for farmers
With hopes under uncertainty created due to climate change and political transition, change can be changed through
-Horticultural expansion to capitalize different microclimate
-Conservation of local crop diversity: Landraces of crops and their diversity, for which Nepal is rich in, can become the sources of disease resistant cultivars and can contribute to increase crop productivity provided that we create the value of the land races and conserve it for future use.
-Attracting youth in agriculture is central for Nepalese rural economy and there is a need to transform young population into productive population for the country. Everyone wants to leave their home unless they have good alternative or option. Offseason vegetable production in Nepalese hills can be well marketed in Indian plains (better/rational use of Nepal's microclimate). However, a systematic assessment of market and production dynamics is important to market the products across the countries.
During the programme, Dr. Singh presented the achievements and advancement in the horticultural research and development in India. He presented the significant contribution of Indian agriculture to feed the 18% global population from 2.3% of global land and 4.2% of global water in the face of increasing population (around 9.5 billion), water and land declining, threat of climate change, and food and nutritional insecurity. According to him, this has been achieved because of science led agricultural research and development in world and especially in India.
Still I found Dr. Singh's confidence in saying the growing population can be fed by transforming the current challenges and difficulties into opportunities, which can only be possible through science and technology. Some of the progresses, he cited from India included, crops grown at particular locations which were not grown earlier as well as their ability to feed 1130 million people and having surplus with the many fold increase in production per unit area from the same land for the last 30 years.
In his presentation, he shared some major changed challenges in agriculture sector that needs to be addressed for achieving food security such as
-Complexity of agricultural system, as compared to the simplest traditional system, created due to complexity of pests, technology, and climate change,
-Changing dietary habits of people due to growing health consciousness population,
-Increasing urbanization and transforming agricultural lands into cities,
-Youths' not attracting to traditional agriculture and their migration for non agricultural jobs,
-New tools and techniques such as biotechnology, bioinformatics, and nano technologies, and
-Focus on agricultural diversification such as horticulture, livestock, fisheries, etc.
Though India's transformation from a food deficit to a food surplus country is because of agricultural development and transformation, Dr. Singh mentioned some growing concerns for the developing and developed world and the need of joint effort on feeding growing population, managing land and water quality, responding to climate change, optimizing use of natural resources, addressing growing demand for livestock and horticultural produce, bio-fuels, and malnutrition and increasing agricultural productivity.
In such context, he highlighted on the significant role of horticultural crops to contribute to respond to the growing concerns of food security through diversification and optimum utilization, knowledge based enterprise development and technology based and farmer centric scientific innovations. With such strategies, Dr. Singh believes that horticulture can produce diet/food for daily plate, ensure balanced diet, utilize waste for fuel and fiber, reduce health risks, and manage changed dietary habits, giving an example of drumstick, if eaten can reduce protein deficiency of people.
Dr. Singh also highlighted the research and development mechanisms of India and their contribution for revolutionizing agricultural sector. More importantly, the dynamics of technologies, development initiatives and policy support were presented as the major drivers of changes in Indian agriculture. And in the face of climate change, he believed on technological advancement to respond to the impacts of climate change through more crops per drop (i.e. productive use of water), capacity building, effective utilization of resources, and facilitating accelerated adoption of improved technologies and best practices.
Learning for Nepal
Based on Dr. Singh's presentation and sharing about Nepal, there are ample opportunities for Nepal to learn from Indian advancement in agricultural research and development and specifically on horticulture. For Nepal, Agriculture is the only opportunity for Nepal, where horticulture can be a prime area of improving peoples' livelihood, which can be achieved through
-Proper use of resources and the microclimatic variation
-Functional institutional mechanisms to address the challenges through research, development and extension
-Human resource development for effective use of science and technology
-Partnership mode of working for harnessing diversity of knowledge and experience
-Mission mode approach to address problems
-Integrated approach for effective utilization of resources, and
-Knowledge center establishment for farmers
With hopes under uncertainty created due to climate change and political transition, change can be changed through
-Horticultural expansion to capitalize different microclimate
-Conservation of local crop diversity: Landraces of crops and their diversity, for which Nepal is rich in, can become the sources of disease resistant cultivars and can contribute to increase crop productivity provided that we create the value of the land races and conserve it for future use.
-Attracting youth in agriculture is central for Nepalese rural economy and there is a need to transform young population into productive population for the country. Everyone wants to leave their home unless they have good alternative or option. Offseason vegetable production in Nepalese hills can be well marketed in Indian plains (better/rational use of Nepal's microclimate). However, a systematic assessment of market and production dynamics is important to market the products across the countries.
Friday, April 8, 2011
Reflection of the 5th CBA Workshop
I, on behalf of Local Initiatives for Biodiversity, Research and Development (LI-BIRD), Pokhara, Nepal attended the fifth International Conference on Community Based Adaptation to Climate Change in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The conference was held for a week from 24-31 March 2011, which was attended by more than 300 scientists, experts and practitioners working on climate change and adaptation from 60 countries of the globe.
The conference included 3 days field visit to different climate change vulnerable sites of Bangladesh and 4 day close session with 21 parallel and plenary sessions of various frontiers of climate change adaptation. The conference was a special one ever I heard and attended on adaptation to climate change because of the three reasons I felt. The first, it was inaugurated by the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina. The second, it was closed by Chairperson of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Dr. Rajendra Pachhauri. The third but most important, it was the only conference targeted to have brought a large mass of climate scientists and practitioners to share their experiences on scaling up of community based adaptation initiatives to climate change.
The three days long field trip gave an insight on how climate change and climate variability is affecting farming communities and how communities are coping adapting to the climate change and climate variability. The fourth day long parallel and plenary sessions were useful for learning how different organizations in the world are exploring an array of adaptation technologies, options, and mechanisms to upscale these at national and international level. The sharing was fruitful for understanding the challenges for scientific community in adaptation and scaling at various scales.
Last but not least, a global networking with the climate scientists and practitioners and applying the following learning to strengthen the focus of my organization on climate change were special to me.
Key Learning for LI-BIRD
1. Opportunity of developing mechanisms, innovations, and interventions that harness the community knowledge and scientific inputs for adaptation to climate change
2. Dissemination of local level adaptation strategies promoted by LI-BIRD to the national and global level
3. Need of horizontal and vertical flow of adaptation information for scaling up at national and international level
4. Capacity building of local and national stakeholder on adaptation to climate change
5. Integration of mechanisms, innovations, and actions on climate change adaptation in local and national planning
6. Explore or innovate mechanism that brings synergies among adaptation, mitigation, disaster risk reduction, and development
Let us hope the sixth International Conference on Community Based Adaptation to Climate Change to be held in Vietnam will bring out an in-depth issues and lessons on scaling up of adaptation on climate change with vertical and horizontal flow of information.
Keshab Thapa
The conference included 3 days field visit to different climate change vulnerable sites of Bangladesh and 4 day close session with 21 parallel and plenary sessions of various frontiers of climate change adaptation. The conference was a special one ever I heard and attended on adaptation to climate change because of the three reasons I felt. The first, it was inaugurated by the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina. The second, it was closed by Chairperson of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Dr. Rajendra Pachhauri. The third but most important, it was the only conference targeted to have brought a large mass of climate scientists and practitioners to share their experiences on scaling up of community based adaptation initiatives to climate change.
The three days long field trip gave an insight on how climate change and climate variability is affecting farming communities and how communities are coping adapting to the climate change and climate variability. The fourth day long parallel and plenary sessions were useful for learning how different organizations in the world are exploring an array of adaptation technologies, options, and mechanisms to upscale these at national and international level. The sharing was fruitful for understanding the challenges for scientific community in adaptation and scaling at various scales.
Last but not least, a global networking with the climate scientists and practitioners and applying the following learning to strengthen the focus of my organization on climate change were special to me.
Key Learning for LI-BIRD
1. Opportunity of developing mechanisms, innovations, and interventions that harness the community knowledge and scientific inputs for adaptation to climate change
2. Dissemination of local level adaptation strategies promoted by LI-BIRD to the national and global level
3. Need of horizontal and vertical flow of adaptation information for scaling up at national and international level
4. Capacity building of local and national stakeholder on adaptation to climate change
5. Integration of mechanisms, innovations, and actions on climate change adaptation in local and national planning
6. Explore or innovate mechanism that brings synergies among adaptation, mitigation, disaster risk reduction, and development
Let us hope the sixth International Conference on Community Based Adaptation to Climate Change to be held in Vietnam will bring out an in-depth issues and lessons on scaling up of adaptation on climate change with vertical and horizontal flow of information.
Keshab Thapa
Friday, April 1, 2011
Learning from the Government of the Most Vulnerable Country
Not only the initiatives, approaches, and mechanisms of civil society organizations were useful for me to upscale community based adaptation to climate change in the fifth International conference on Community Based Adaptation to Climate Change in Dhaka, Bangladesh. But also the initiatives taken by the Government of Bangladesh to respond to climate change were noteworthy to me.
I, from the citizen of the country, where change in government and its higher officials are a common phenomenon to slow down the movement of government at national and international level on climate change issue, learn the importance of governmental response for reaching up and drawing down the information and resources in climate change issues.
Though there may be some issues that the Government of Bangladesh has also missed its connection for right judgment and consultation (for example the case of Piloting Program on Climate Resilience “PPCR”), there are some key initiatives that the developing and least developed nations must learn in climate change from Bangladesh. Especially, the voice of Bangladeshi Government in the international negotiation is commendable. I salute to the minister and representative of the respective focal ministry on climate change, Ministry of Environment and Forest, for their initiatives and progress despite the less attention of Developed Nations to implement their financial commitments.
The Bangladeshi Government prepared its National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA) in November 2005 through a consultative process and identified 15 priority projects among the list of 60 identified projects in six thematic sectors. Later in 2009, NAPA has been updated with 45 adaptation priorities with the Community Based Coastal Afforestation Project being the first project implemented under NAPA.
Bangladesh Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan (BCCSAP) prepared in 2009, with 6 thematic areas and 4 programme areas, is the basis for climate change work in the country, which has calculated the total 5 billion USD to implement the strategy and action plan. In order to prioritize climate change and implement urgent and immediate priorities, there are Climate Change Cells in different ministries that are coordinated by National Steering Committee, chaired by Minister of Environment and Forest, which report to National Environment Committee, chaired by Prime Minister of the Government of Bangladesh.
As we know the cost of adaptation and mitigation is huge. Like other developing countries, Bangladeshi Government has also realized inadequate financial flow from developed nations to the developing nations. Contrary to other nations, it has established a self sustaining and self responding mechanisms for climate change adaptation.
In order to respond this crisis, it has established Bangladesh Climate Change Trust Fund (BCCTF) in 2009/2010 with a initial fund of 100 million USD. The government has allocated 100 million USD to the BCCTF for the year 2010/11. Under this trust fund, 45 projects (6 billion Taka, local currency) through government and 53 projects (230 million Taka) through NGOs have been implemented on the ground. In addition to the government’s fund, other development partners have also supported Bangladesh through Bangladesh Climate Change Resilience Fund (BCCRF) with the money amounting to 113 million USD. The funds under these mechanisms are administered under the guidelines of Climate Change Trust Act 2010.
With such innovations, the government is looking forward for fast tract finance and is optimistic with the progress made in Cancun, the Conference of Parties 16th meeting. Especially, the Cancun Adaptation Framework and The Green Climate Fund are hopes for the Government of Bangladesh and so is for the least developed nations also!
Let us hope there will be fast start finance in climate change adaptation under UNFCCC mechanism soon in the future!!!!
I, from the citizen of the country, where change in government and its higher officials are a common phenomenon to slow down the movement of government at national and international level on climate change issue, learn the importance of governmental response for reaching up and drawing down the information and resources in climate change issues.
Though there may be some issues that the Government of Bangladesh has also missed its connection for right judgment and consultation (for example the case of Piloting Program on Climate Resilience “PPCR”), there are some key initiatives that the developing and least developed nations must learn in climate change from Bangladesh. Especially, the voice of Bangladeshi Government in the international negotiation is commendable. I salute to the minister and representative of the respective focal ministry on climate change, Ministry of Environment and Forest, for their initiatives and progress despite the less attention of Developed Nations to implement their financial commitments.
The Bangladeshi Government prepared its National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA) in November 2005 through a consultative process and identified 15 priority projects among the list of 60 identified projects in six thematic sectors. Later in 2009, NAPA has been updated with 45 adaptation priorities with the Community Based Coastal Afforestation Project being the first project implemented under NAPA.
Bangladesh Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan (BCCSAP) prepared in 2009, with 6 thematic areas and 4 programme areas, is the basis for climate change work in the country, which has calculated the total 5 billion USD to implement the strategy and action plan. In order to prioritize climate change and implement urgent and immediate priorities, there are Climate Change Cells in different ministries that are coordinated by National Steering Committee, chaired by Minister of Environment and Forest, which report to National Environment Committee, chaired by Prime Minister of the Government of Bangladesh.
As we know the cost of adaptation and mitigation is huge. Like other developing countries, Bangladeshi Government has also realized inadequate financial flow from developed nations to the developing nations. Contrary to other nations, it has established a self sustaining and self responding mechanisms for climate change adaptation.
In order to respond this crisis, it has established Bangladesh Climate Change Trust Fund (BCCTF) in 2009/2010 with a initial fund of 100 million USD. The government has allocated 100 million USD to the BCCTF for the year 2010/11. Under this trust fund, 45 projects (6 billion Taka, local currency) through government and 53 projects (230 million Taka) through NGOs have been implemented on the ground. In addition to the government’s fund, other development partners have also supported Bangladesh through Bangladesh Climate Change Resilience Fund (BCCRF) with the money amounting to 113 million USD. The funds under these mechanisms are administered under the guidelines of Climate Change Trust Act 2010.
With such innovations, the government is looking forward for fast tract finance and is optimistic with the progress made in Cancun, the Conference of Parties 16th meeting. Especially, the Cancun Adaptation Framework and The Green Climate Fund are hopes for the Government of Bangladesh and so is for the least developed nations also!
Let us hope there will be fast start finance in climate change adaptation under UNFCCC mechanism soon in the future!!!!
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Health: The Common Issue that Hopes Priority
In our field visit to Kundar Para village of Gaibandha District, Joy Guillemot from World Health Organization asked local women to share impacts of floods in their health and that of their children. There were around 25 women in the interaction. While answering the question, all women simultaneously started replying, with which the observers including me surprised to see and hear their eternal feelings! They shared about the loss of children’s’ lives, outbreak of diseases such as diarrhea, skin and eye related diseases, increased temper of the women because of the burden, pressure and the mental tension due to floods and river bank erosion and beating to their kids. As Men are mostly mobile and are out of their homes, it was women who suffered most from such unprecedented events, who have to look after elderly persons in their family, children, livestock and their property. In the future projection and uncertainty, it will be women who will suffer more. Hence, health is a serious issue when we deal with the issue of climate change. Certainly the healthy people in the healthy ecosystems have high adaptive capacity and ultimately are resilient.
The issues of scaling up of community based adaptation in Health were discussed in the 20th parallel session of the 5th International Conference on Community Based Adaptation to Climate Change in Dhaka. The session was a good learning opportunity for me though it was attended by around 45 participants including the session chair and presenters. The cases and experiences from Bhutan, Vietnam, Jordan and Bangladesh reflected the importance of integrating health sector adaptation with an especial emphasis in the national and international plans and policies.
The strategies of adaptation such as risk identification, integrated surveillance, alert network, emergency preparedness, and disease preparedness were identified as the prominent in health sector. The strong and efficient communication among the people and their networks, mobilization of community based organizations and nongovernmental organizations for early detection and response, strengthening of existing operational mechanisms and services, and building adequate human resources were some important strategies for upscaling community based adaptation in health sector.
Much more interesting and a take home message were the initiatives of Government of Bangladesh in the health sector with especial focus on adaptation to climate change, which every government in the least developed nations and developing nations must learn, and the civil society organizations need to lobby with their respective government. They have been prioritizing capacity building of human resources and communities, risk reducing practices and developing appropriate innovation and technology in the health sector. Community clinics at ward level to address climate vulnerability and community radio initiatives as early warning system can be taken as its attention at the local level. At the national level, the focus of health sector vulnerability and adaptation in Bangladesh Climate change Strategy and Action Plan (BCCSAP) and National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA) can be considered as the major breakthroughs. The Climate Change and Health Promotion Unit (CCHP) under the Bangladesh Climate Change Trust, I considered an important and rational response of government to protect its vulnerable peoples.
In the conclusion, I was fortunate being with the health conscious people in the discussion who were actually distilled from the mass of 300 in the conference. I was there to get ideas and issues to integrate, in the future, the issues of health sector adaptation in the community level work and national policy lobby processes in my country. It was a good start from this conference that health issue got a priority. Nevertheless, the coming conferences, it would really provide insights for all if health is discussed in the plenary sessions than in a parallel session.
The issues of scaling up of community based adaptation in Health were discussed in the 20th parallel session of the 5th International Conference on Community Based Adaptation to Climate Change in Dhaka. The session was a good learning opportunity for me though it was attended by around 45 participants including the session chair and presenters. The cases and experiences from Bhutan, Vietnam, Jordan and Bangladesh reflected the importance of integrating health sector adaptation with an especial emphasis in the national and international plans and policies.
The strategies of adaptation such as risk identification, integrated surveillance, alert network, emergency preparedness, and disease preparedness were identified as the prominent in health sector. The strong and efficient communication among the people and their networks, mobilization of community based organizations and nongovernmental organizations for early detection and response, strengthening of existing operational mechanisms and services, and building adequate human resources were some important strategies for upscaling community based adaptation in health sector.
Much more interesting and a take home message were the initiatives of Government of Bangladesh in the health sector with especial focus on adaptation to climate change, which every government in the least developed nations and developing nations must learn, and the civil society organizations need to lobby with their respective government. They have been prioritizing capacity building of human resources and communities, risk reducing practices and developing appropriate innovation and technology in the health sector. Community clinics at ward level to address climate vulnerability and community radio initiatives as early warning system can be taken as its attention at the local level. At the national level, the focus of health sector vulnerability and adaptation in Bangladesh Climate change Strategy and Action Plan (BCCSAP) and National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA) can be considered as the major breakthroughs. The Climate Change and Health Promotion Unit (CCHP) under the Bangladesh Climate Change Trust, I considered an important and rational response of government to protect its vulnerable peoples.
In the conclusion, I was fortunate being with the health conscious people in the discussion who were actually distilled from the mass of 300 in the conference. I was there to get ideas and issues to integrate, in the future, the issues of health sector adaptation in the community level work and national policy lobby processes in my country. It was a good start from this conference that health issue got a priority. Nevertheless, the coming conferences, it would really provide insights for all if health is discussed in the plenary sessions than in a parallel session.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
The Need of Integrated Approach: CBA vs EBA
Thank God that communities are adapting to the impacts of climate change by diversifying their livelihood options and rehabilitating the ecosystems and managing the natural resources to the best they can. But scientists in the 5th International Conference on Community Based Adaptation to Climate Change in Dhaka were debating on Community Based Adaptation (CBA) and Ecosystem Based Adaptation (EBA). This was the reality of the 17th parallel session of the conference "The role of ecosystems in adaptation".
The session started with a three minute eye-closed-thinking chaired by Helen Jeans, WWF and Hannah Reid, IIED.
During the three minute thinking, participants were asked to think as if he or she is stream that continuously flows to its destination, lake that supports a diversity of life, tree that stands still and looks after what is going on around, wild lives running here and there, soil supporting a diversity of life, fishes swimming freely in the lake, birds flying here and there, and people doing agriculture and raising livestock who has been utilizing the natural resources by generation. The moment realized the context of ecosystem and interrelations within it.
Panel presentations went on continuously. Presenters suggested based on their experiences,various ways to scale CBA practices at ecosystem level such as: community empowerment, uniting traditional and scientific knowledge on adaptation, developing synergies among different actors, and balancing policy issues and natural process by identifying the underlying causes of vulnerability such as gender, marginalization, and traditional knowledge base. In this context, there is a need of balancing focus on ecosystem improvement, empowerment and benefit sharing, and livelihood improvement.
However, at the point of discussion, a mix thoughts were raised by the participants about CBA and EBA. Some said these are same some said these are different, .........
Because, traditionally, scientists and development workers have made demarcation in the field of conservation and development though it has been gradually realized as the need of merging people and nature centric approaches for sustainable management of natural resources. This may be the residual impact of orientation to those persons in the respective field, which in the changed situation need to be thought again!!!
Whether we debate on CBA or EBA and made distinction, livelihood promotion and sustainable natural resource management should strategy should go parallel. For this to achieve, CBA can complement to EBA. Because CBA is for community level who are associated with the natural resources for their livelihoods. And if communities are not aware on the issues of climate change and the role of natural resources or ecosystem services, if they are not linked with the opportunities in the marketing of the products of the ecosystem services, and if they are not involved in the equitable benefit sharing mechanisms from the management of natural resources, and if their livelihood options are not diversified, and if the community based adaptations are not complemented at the watershed or ecosystem level, every sector in the community and element of the ecosystem will be threatened and ultimately the human being.
However, the great great moment of the session was that it ended with the following common consensus: 'An integrated approach is needed in the context when we are moving into the new world'!!!!! Where CBA and EBA must complement!!!
Keshab Thapa
The session started with a three minute eye-closed-thinking chaired by Helen Jeans, WWF and Hannah Reid, IIED.
During the three minute thinking, participants were asked to think as if he or she is stream that continuously flows to its destination, lake that supports a diversity of life, tree that stands still and looks after what is going on around, wild lives running here and there, soil supporting a diversity of life, fishes swimming freely in the lake, birds flying here and there, and people doing agriculture and raising livestock who has been utilizing the natural resources by generation. The moment realized the context of ecosystem and interrelations within it.
Panel presentations went on continuously. Presenters suggested based on their experiences,various ways to scale CBA practices at ecosystem level such as: community empowerment, uniting traditional and scientific knowledge on adaptation, developing synergies among different actors, and balancing policy issues and natural process by identifying the underlying causes of vulnerability such as gender, marginalization, and traditional knowledge base. In this context, there is a need of balancing focus on ecosystem improvement, empowerment and benefit sharing, and livelihood improvement.
However, at the point of discussion, a mix thoughts were raised by the participants about CBA and EBA. Some said these are same some said these are different, .........
Because, traditionally, scientists and development workers have made demarcation in the field of conservation and development though it has been gradually realized as the need of merging people and nature centric approaches for sustainable management of natural resources. This may be the residual impact of orientation to those persons in the respective field, which in the changed situation need to be thought again!!!
Whether we debate on CBA or EBA and made distinction, livelihood promotion and sustainable natural resource management should strategy should go parallel. For this to achieve, CBA can complement to EBA. Because CBA is for community level who are associated with the natural resources for their livelihoods. And if communities are not aware on the issues of climate change and the role of natural resources or ecosystem services, if they are not linked with the opportunities in the marketing of the products of the ecosystem services, and if they are not involved in the equitable benefit sharing mechanisms from the management of natural resources, and if their livelihood options are not diversified, and if the community based adaptations are not complemented at the watershed or ecosystem level, every sector in the community and element of the ecosystem will be threatened and ultimately the human being.
However, the great great moment of the session was that it ended with the following common consensus: 'An integrated approach is needed in the context when we are moving into the new world'!!!!! Where CBA and EBA must complement!!!
Keshab Thapa
Learning from the youths (Climate Champions)
A short but very interesting session, which was organized in the evening of 29th March 2011 by the British Council Bangladesh, delivered the climate impacts and messages of the affected people to the more than 200 climate scientists from 60 countries of the world, who have been attending the 5th International Conference on Community Based Adaptation in Bangladesh.
It was an exciting moment to see the roles that the youths through British Council's climate generation programme are playing to document the realities of the field (which are/will be otherwise unreal to the scientists) and to raise the awareness of ordinary people who are the affected most.
During that short session, the screening of videos documented stories from the Nepal himalaya to the coastal region of Bangladesh depicted the different stories but raised by the common causes i.e. green house gases and the global warming and then climate change!!!
The films were from Nepal and Bangladesh, and there were champions from the both countries also but these films have covered the issues of most climate vulnerable peoples and ecosystem that need urgent attention with on the ground work.
These realities also drew an attention of the climate scientists to realize on the need of immediate attention for technology and a transparent finance transfer to the most vulnerable people and nations from the impacts of climate change.
Let us hope, there will be no longer debate on climate governance to support the least developed countries!!!!
It was an exciting moment to see the roles that the youths through British Council's climate generation programme are playing to document the realities of the field (which are/will be otherwise unreal to the scientists) and to raise the awareness of ordinary people who are the affected most.
During that short session, the screening of videos documented stories from the Nepal himalaya to the coastal region of Bangladesh depicted the different stories but raised by the common causes i.e. green house gases and the global warming and then climate change!!!
The films were from Nepal and Bangladesh, and there were champions from the both countries also but these films have covered the issues of most climate vulnerable peoples and ecosystem that need urgent attention with on the ground work.
These realities also drew an attention of the climate scientists to realize on the need of immediate attention for technology and a transparent finance transfer to the most vulnerable people and nations from the impacts of climate change.
Let us hope, there will be no longer debate on climate governance to support the least developed countries!!!!
Learning from the Scientists
After a 3 day long field trip, where and when I observed the impacts of climate change and community adaptation responses, I am regularly following up the plenaries and parallel sessions of the 5th International Conference on Community Based Adaptation in Hotel Sheraton, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Presentations have been done and discussions are going on different thematic areas starting from the general, but more important, concepts of climate terminologies in relation to adaptation to scaling up approaches and methodologies in costing, planning, governance, and etc.
Following the parallel session is really challenging to capture the topic of interest and specific presentation of the interest. In addition, discussion at the end of the session is still not being able to consider the raised hands of the scientists due to the large mass and curiosity to understand, learn and unlearn.
With such opportunities and limitations, I am trying to distill the learning and findings from the different parts of the world. Let us hope and ensure, it will add a new dimension to my work after I return my home.
Keshab Thapa
Presentations have been done and discussions are going on different thematic areas starting from the general, but more important, concepts of climate terminologies in relation to adaptation to scaling up approaches and methodologies in costing, planning, governance, and etc.
Following the parallel session is really challenging to capture the topic of interest and specific presentation of the interest. In addition, discussion at the end of the session is still not being able to consider the raised hands of the scientists due to the large mass and curiosity to understand, learn and unlearn.
With such opportunities and limitations, I am trying to distill the learning and findings from the different parts of the world. Let us hope and ensure, it will add a new dimension to my work after I return my home.
Keshab Thapa
Learning from the most vulnerables
Background
It was a great pleasure for us to visit Bangladesh in the momentum when the people are celebrating their 40th independent day. Being a citizen of an always independent country, I realized the peoples’ feelings, pride, and love to their country as her common citizen; may it be from children, youth, women, men and elderly ones. However, they are always threatened with the natural unexpected and unpredictable phenomena. Though the country is celebrating its independent day, it is ranked as the most vulnerable country from the hazards and impacts of climate change in the world, signifying that, it needs a tremendous effort, in terms of investment and collaboration, to let its people out of the risks and vulnerability from climate change. In order to acclimatize to the changed context of climate by seeing the impacts and community responses and learning lessons and replicable practices, and more importantly get interacted with the climate change context that Bangladesh is facing, a 3 day field trip was organized. It was Gaibandha district on our behalf to enjoy the trip!
Journey and Welcoming
We started our journey on 25th March 2011 from Dhaka at 9:20 A.M. Due to the heavy traffic, we reached the office of Gana Unnayan Kendra (GUK), Gaibandha at 5:30 P.M. In GUK, we had a wonderful warm welcome from its staffs and the representative from Practical Action Bangladesh. Just after getting refreshed, we were invited in the meeting hall for the brief orientation about the field trip and the activities being implemented by Practical Action Bangladesh and GUK for disaster risk management.
Community Initiatives
In the second day, we visited Belka village, has been flooding since 25 years during June-December. Flood accompanied with riverbank erosion, the major climatic hazard, has washed away the productive lands of so many people in Bangladesh, who are now reluctant to cultivate in the unproductive lands. But these unproductive sands are their unavoidable option to sustain their livelihoods. At the area and nearby Belka, there are 2500 households, affected with flood and riverbank erosion, living in the government managed embankment.
The devastating flood, which they are experiencing more frequently, has made the people from landlord to landless. Even the riverbank erosion has made a shock in the peoples’ livelihood even for a maximum of seven times in the history of some families. Nevertheless, it is those people who need to cope and adapt to these risks and impacts to sustain their livelihood. So, in order to adapt to the flood, the displaced farmers have started doing cage fish culture, floating garden, and sand bar cultivation with the technical support from Practical Action Bangladesh.
20 farmers of Belka have initiated floating garden and cage fish culture in the Khas land to adapt to the flooding. Each farmer is allowed to construct and manage 2 beds of floating garden, where they grow Cancong (a leafy vegetable) and red amaranthus (also a leafy vegetable). The floating garden is prepared by utilizing the water hyacinth that is abundant during the flooding period, by accumulating water hyacinth in the form of a nursery bed and decomposing. This type of farming has supported farmers to supply the family nutrition from vegetable and also earn some money by selling to the nearby market. In addition, the well decomposed manure or compost is also sold in the market. From the cage fish culture, they are able to produce 25-40 Kg fishes per cubic meter cage per culture cycle. If the flood persists for long time i.e. more than 3 months, they can go for 2-3 culture cycle.
Not only the flooded lands, but farmers were found to utilize the unproductive lands of the sandbar through cultivating pumpkin and squash. With technical and material support from Practical Action Bangladesh, 80 farmers (of which 60 are women and who can imaging for the burden to those women?) are cultivating pumpkin and squash on 24 acres of land in the sandbar. This cultivation has been possible due to the deposition of alluvial soil during flooding. And at current, they have benefited from this sandbar cultivation as most of the farmers have become able to buy livestock (goat and cattle) as a secured livelihood option in the changing context. And even some farmers have become a resource farmer and are teaching others about the cultivation of pumpkin and squash and even cage fish farming and floating gardens.
But, still there is a question of uncertainty of their right to use these unproductive lands once these become fertile after years they do cultivate, which does not belong to those landless people and neither is it a khas land, with the hope that government, if they lobby, will hand over to them in the future. However, it is their ultimate livelihood option and they are investing their huge efforts to produce more and more and make this land fertile over the due course of time. Let not think about the mechanism of payment or compensation to these people on behalf of transforming the unproductive lands to the productive ones, later when the land becomes fertile, the landlords produce the luxury crops (for example: rice and tobacco) and they must compel to find other unproductive lands and repeat the history several times.
Compared to the past 15 years, farmers have experienced increased temperature (mostly in April-May), decreased precipitation with its shifting patter in the later part of monsoon (June-July to Aug-Nov) but flooding, and increased intensity of cold. Community recalled the big floods and their devastating effects of 1988 and 2007. In this context, the initiative from Practical Action Bangladesh to construct a cluster village in Schumacher Pali is noteworthy to protect the people and their households, who previously were displaced, from flood and riverbank erosion. The cluster village is constructed in the khas land but it was taken in lease for 99 years from government. With the construction of cluster village, the livelihood option of the community is diversified than that of earlier. Earlier their livelihood option was only the water labor and they didn’t have their own house. Now, they do have their own house along the skills of producing pumpkin and squash in the sand bar and bamboo made products along with wage labor.
After visiting the cluster village, the transect walk along with motor boating along the Bhramhaputra river was ever memorable for us and the community consultation in Kundar Para with the empowered voices of women, never the least. The communities in this village have been living since 25 years. However, the major threat to this village is flood and riverbank erosion. In 1986, there was a flood that displaced them heavily, which remain submerged till 1992. After 1992, they found some char land there and some 14 families started making shelter in the area. During 1994, they experiences a prolonged drought followed by a heavy flood in 1995. So, people moved to the main land to avoid flood and came back to their land and there appeared more char land and many families started to stay in this area but still it is affected by the flood.
In order to protect the families and the land, the chairperson of the village asked GUK for some support. After then, GUK initiated its work by establishing a flood shelter in the village in 1995. During that period there were only 88 families living, which now has become 300. The female members of the community remembered the devastating impacts of flood as no access to school, market, disease outbreak, fear of loss of children, no movement, no drinking water, no access to health centers, and damage to their house and the crops they used to grow up and harvest. But after the support from GUK on Flood shelter along with capacity building activities and disaster preparedness plan, they have enhanced access to market, solar energy, portable stove (with firewood and essential medicine), safer drinking water, and basic services. Their capacity is also enhanced to understand the impacts and causes of climate change. As a symbol of socioeconomic progress, they have now flood shelter which they can use during flood, early marriage among the girl is reduced, and access to market has increased. They also have a flood shelter committee run by a 23 member committee, which has been responsible for preparing plan for disaster preparedness, monitoring river, identifying the vulnerable households and participatory planning. More importantly, it has given due attention to take care of pregnant and lactating women and save livestock by keeping them in separate place during flooding.
Key Learning
Personally, it was a unique and great learning opportunity to find out the community dealing with floods and river bank erosion to sustain their livelihoods. Not only to be shared the learning during the conference and through the blogs, the adaptation options and strategies initiated by the communities are replicable in my country in the areas having similar vulnerability context. However, I felt a need of Intergovernmental cooperation among Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal for integrated river basing management in order to manage the climate induced hazards in the long run. Certainly, there are efforts needed to link up these strategies to the national policy makers and planners so that they can prepare for the uncertain with robust planning and preparation.
Never the least, I found an answer of why community based adaptation to climate change just seeing the success of flood shelter constructed by local NGO but the failure of flood shelter from government simply due to the difference in approaching the experiences and knowledge of local community!!!
Keshab Thapa
It was a great pleasure for us to visit Bangladesh in the momentum when the people are celebrating their 40th independent day. Being a citizen of an always independent country, I realized the peoples’ feelings, pride, and love to their country as her common citizen; may it be from children, youth, women, men and elderly ones. However, they are always threatened with the natural unexpected and unpredictable phenomena. Though the country is celebrating its independent day, it is ranked as the most vulnerable country from the hazards and impacts of climate change in the world, signifying that, it needs a tremendous effort, in terms of investment and collaboration, to let its people out of the risks and vulnerability from climate change. In order to acclimatize to the changed context of climate by seeing the impacts and community responses and learning lessons and replicable practices, and more importantly get interacted with the climate change context that Bangladesh is facing, a 3 day field trip was organized. It was Gaibandha district on our behalf to enjoy the trip!
Journey and Welcoming
We started our journey on 25th March 2011 from Dhaka at 9:20 A.M. Due to the heavy traffic, we reached the office of Gana Unnayan Kendra (GUK), Gaibandha at 5:30 P.M. In GUK, we had a wonderful warm welcome from its staffs and the representative from Practical Action Bangladesh. Just after getting refreshed, we were invited in the meeting hall for the brief orientation about the field trip and the activities being implemented by Practical Action Bangladesh and GUK for disaster risk management.
Community Initiatives
In the second day, we visited Belka village, has been flooding since 25 years during June-December. Flood accompanied with riverbank erosion, the major climatic hazard, has washed away the productive lands of so many people in Bangladesh, who are now reluctant to cultivate in the unproductive lands. But these unproductive sands are their unavoidable option to sustain their livelihoods. At the area and nearby Belka, there are 2500 households, affected with flood and riverbank erosion, living in the government managed embankment.
The devastating flood, which they are experiencing more frequently, has made the people from landlord to landless. Even the riverbank erosion has made a shock in the peoples’ livelihood even for a maximum of seven times in the history of some families. Nevertheless, it is those people who need to cope and adapt to these risks and impacts to sustain their livelihood. So, in order to adapt to the flood, the displaced farmers have started doing cage fish culture, floating garden, and sand bar cultivation with the technical support from Practical Action Bangladesh.
20 farmers of Belka have initiated floating garden and cage fish culture in the Khas land to adapt to the flooding. Each farmer is allowed to construct and manage 2 beds of floating garden, where they grow Cancong (a leafy vegetable) and red amaranthus (also a leafy vegetable). The floating garden is prepared by utilizing the water hyacinth that is abundant during the flooding period, by accumulating water hyacinth in the form of a nursery bed and decomposing. This type of farming has supported farmers to supply the family nutrition from vegetable and also earn some money by selling to the nearby market. In addition, the well decomposed manure or compost is also sold in the market. From the cage fish culture, they are able to produce 25-40 Kg fishes per cubic meter cage per culture cycle. If the flood persists for long time i.e. more than 3 months, they can go for 2-3 culture cycle.
Not only the flooded lands, but farmers were found to utilize the unproductive lands of the sandbar through cultivating pumpkin and squash. With technical and material support from Practical Action Bangladesh, 80 farmers (of which 60 are women and who can imaging for the burden to those women?) are cultivating pumpkin and squash on 24 acres of land in the sandbar. This cultivation has been possible due to the deposition of alluvial soil during flooding. And at current, they have benefited from this sandbar cultivation as most of the farmers have become able to buy livestock (goat and cattle) as a secured livelihood option in the changing context. And even some farmers have become a resource farmer and are teaching others about the cultivation of pumpkin and squash and even cage fish farming and floating gardens.
But, still there is a question of uncertainty of their right to use these unproductive lands once these become fertile after years they do cultivate, which does not belong to those landless people and neither is it a khas land, with the hope that government, if they lobby, will hand over to them in the future. However, it is their ultimate livelihood option and they are investing their huge efforts to produce more and more and make this land fertile over the due course of time. Let not think about the mechanism of payment or compensation to these people on behalf of transforming the unproductive lands to the productive ones, later when the land becomes fertile, the landlords produce the luxury crops (for example: rice and tobacco) and they must compel to find other unproductive lands and repeat the history several times.
Compared to the past 15 years, farmers have experienced increased temperature (mostly in April-May), decreased precipitation with its shifting patter in the later part of monsoon (June-July to Aug-Nov) but flooding, and increased intensity of cold. Community recalled the big floods and their devastating effects of 1988 and 2007. In this context, the initiative from Practical Action Bangladesh to construct a cluster village in Schumacher Pali is noteworthy to protect the people and their households, who previously were displaced, from flood and riverbank erosion. The cluster village is constructed in the khas land but it was taken in lease for 99 years from government. With the construction of cluster village, the livelihood option of the community is diversified than that of earlier. Earlier their livelihood option was only the water labor and they didn’t have their own house. Now, they do have their own house along the skills of producing pumpkin and squash in the sand bar and bamboo made products along with wage labor.
After visiting the cluster village, the transect walk along with motor boating along the Bhramhaputra river was ever memorable for us and the community consultation in Kundar Para with the empowered voices of women, never the least. The communities in this village have been living since 25 years. However, the major threat to this village is flood and riverbank erosion. In 1986, there was a flood that displaced them heavily, which remain submerged till 1992. After 1992, they found some char land there and some 14 families started making shelter in the area. During 1994, they experiences a prolonged drought followed by a heavy flood in 1995. So, people moved to the main land to avoid flood and came back to their land and there appeared more char land and many families started to stay in this area but still it is affected by the flood.
In order to protect the families and the land, the chairperson of the village asked GUK for some support. After then, GUK initiated its work by establishing a flood shelter in the village in 1995. During that period there were only 88 families living, which now has become 300. The female members of the community remembered the devastating impacts of flood as no access to school, market, disease outbreak, fear of loss of children, no movement, no drinking water, no access to health centers, and damage to their house and the crops they used to grow up and harvest. But after the support from GUK on Flood shelter along with capacity building activities and disaster preparedness plan, they have enhanced access to market, solar energy, portable stove (with firewood and essential medicine), safer drinking water, and basic services. Their capacity is also enhanced to understand the impacts and causes of climate change. As a symbol of socioeconomic progress, they have now flood shelter which they can use during flood, early marriage among the girl is reduced, and access to market has increased. They also have a flood shelter committee run by a 23 member committee, which has been responsible for preparing plan for disaster preparedness, monitoring river, identifying the vulnerable households and participatory planning. More importantly, it has given due attention to take care of pregnant and lactating women and save livestock by keeping them in separate place during flooding.
Key Learning
Personally, it was a unique and great learning opportunity to find out the community dealing with floods and river bank erosion to sustain their livelihoods. Not only to be shared the learning during the conference and through the blogs, the adaptation options and strategies initiated by the communities are replicable in my country in the areas having similar vulnerability context. However, I felt a need of Intergovernmental cooperation among Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal for integrated river basing management in order to manage the climate induced hazards in the long run. Certainly, there are efforts needed to link up these strategies to the national policy makers and planners so that they can prepare for the uncertain with robust planning and preparation.
Never the least, I found an answer of why community based adaptation to climate change just seeing the success of flood shelter constructed by local NGO but the failure of flood shelter from government simply due to the difference in approaching the experiences and knowledge of local community!!!
Keshab Thapa
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