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This book discusses the impact of climate change on agriculture, the inclusion of the agriculture sectors in climate change negotiations, cost and opportunities for agricultural projects through such international climate change regimes as the Kyoto Protocol.

This project examines the feasibility of expanding electrical service into rural villages not currently serviced by Nepal's electrical grid. One hypothesis is that renewable energy sources can enhance each village's economy and improve rural Nepal so as to produce local wealth and employment. The operational definition of "development" includes enhanced educational attainment, business development, and an improved quality of life and health. A key question is whether village electrification can be sustainable and cost-effective by providing electricity to light homes, schools, small businesses, health clinics, or pump water for drinking and irxviiogation. This project evaluated the technical and economic options to provide electric power based on different demand scenarios. Any effort to extend electric service to rural villages in Nepal distant from the grid would be based on a choice between grid extension (where that is feasible) versus renewable energy options such as solar, wind, micro-hydro, or biomass. Electric service is feasible only if rural residents can pay through user fees for operating costs as well as capital costs not covered by government subsidies or nongovernmental organization donations or investments. Rural electrification faces challenges beyond cost, such as Nepal's mountainous terrain, available economic resources in each village, demographics, as well as each village's system of local governance. A group of graduate students supported by staff and faculty from Tribhuvan University, Hiroshima University, and The University of Texas at Austin participated in a research project in 2017-2018 to evaluate prospects for electrification of two villages in rural Nepal. Project participants worked with representatives of Nepali government agencies and nonprofit organizations. Students visited two villages, Rakathum and Kothape, which have yet to be connected to Nepal's electric grid. After evaluating the potential for grid extensions or renewable energy options for Kothape and Rakathum, students concluded that micro-hydro and wind micro-grids would not be feasible for those villages due to the absence of a sufficient hydraulic head nearby and prevailing wind speed too weak to sustain power generation, respectively. Study participants observed that the villages, although isolated, already had access to electricity via solar panels to charge cell phones and lights in homes, as well as laptops at the schools. As the villagers in Kothape and Rakathum earn their income primarily from farming, students evaluated the potential benefits from expansion of solar energy projects to supplement irrigation as well as use of biomass/biogas for household purposes. Connection to the existing grid also could be considered, given government initiatives in the area. It is beyond the scope of this project to determine how energy demands in Kothape and Rakathum could best be met, as such decisions will reflect potential subsidies or contributions from the Government of Nepal, non- profit organizations, philanthropic donors, and village residents. ; Public Affairs

Intro -- Preface -- Contents -- About the Authors -- Acronyms and Abbreviations -- List of Figures -- List of Tables -- Chapter 1: Introduction -- 1.1 Evolution in Climate Change Studies -- 1.2 Grounds for This Research -- 1.3 Chapters -- References -- Chapter 2: Climate Change and Rural Livelihoods in Developing Countries -- 2.1 Climate Change and Livelihood Assets -- 2.1.1 Financial Assets -- 2.1.2 Human Assets -- 2.1.3 Social and Institutional Assets -- 2.1.4 Natural Assets -- 2.1.5 Physical Assets -- 2.2 Measuring Social Vulnerability to Climate Change -- 2.3 Local Perceptions in Climate Change Researches -- 2.4 Approaches in Analyzing Adaptive Capacity -- 2.5 Studies of Community-Based Adaptation Practices -- 2.6 Impacts of Climate Change on Livelihood Trajectories -- 2.7 Gendered Aspects of Climate Change -- 2.8 Livelihood Impacts of Climate Change Responses -- 2.9 Climate Change and Livelihoods of Mountain Communities -- References -- Chapter 3: Climate Change in Nepal: Policy and Programs -- 3.1 Climate Change Policies and Programs in Nepal -- 3.2 Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Nepal: Prospects for Mitigation -- 3.3 Trend of Climate Variables in Nepal -- 3.3.1 Temperature Trend in Nepal -- 3.3.2 Precipitation Trend in Nepal -- 3.4 Projection of Temperature and Precipitation in Nepal -- 3.5 Climate Change Impacts in Nepal -- References -- Chapter 4: Conceptual and Analytical Framework -- 4.1 Conceptual Framework -- 4.1.1 Components of the Framework -- 4.1.2 Relationships Among the Framework Components -- 4.2 Analytical Framework -- References -- Chapter 5: Chepangs: The Community in Focus -- 5.1 Territory of the Chepangs and Vulnerability -- 5.2 State of Research on the Chepangs: Livelihood Transformation -- Appendix 5.1: Classification of 59 Indigenous Nationalities in Nepal -- References -- Chapter 6: The Study Settings -- 6.1 Study Sites.

AbstractAn understanding of the dynamics of persistent poverty that is not static, contrary to its portrayal in the literature, is important for policy‐makers. We therefore performed multinomial logistic regression and binary logistic regression on panel data to capture rural poverty dynamics in Nepal's Far‐Western Hills. The former revealed that the risk of experiencing chronic poverty was significantly higher for households in the more remote village development committee of Melauli, those headed by women or older men with less education, and those with higher dependency ratios and lower participation levels in community‐based organisations. The latter, entailing disaggregation of transient poverty, revealed a higher risk of moving into poverty for members of occupational castes (OCs) and housevholds in Melauli because of their limited socioeconomic assets. The occurrence of natural disasters also increased households' risks of moving into poverty. Conversely, more years of schooling among household heads facilitated movements out of poverty. Thus, poverty reduction programmes focusing on relatively remote villages and OCs that promote educational access and employment generation are necessary to address chronic and transient poverty. Further, the introduction of temporary relief programmes following natural disasters, and of insurance schemes for covering associated losses, will alleviate transient poverty.