Climate change and adaptive strategies for agriculture in Panchkhal Municipality

Abstract

Climate change is a modern global crisis caused by human activities that emit greenhouse gases and alter the Earth's natural systems. It is now an undeniable global burning issue, affecting the complex relationship between the physical landscape, natural resources, and how communities adapt to the effects of climate change. Climate change brings many uncertainties to the livelihoods of farming communities that depend on weather and climate. The purpose of this paper is to examine the climate change and adaptive strategies of the farmers in Panchkhal Municipality using an explanatory mixed-methods research design. Primary data were collected from field observation, questionnaires, and interviews. Secondary data were collected from the Center Bureau of Statistics (CBS) and the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology (DHM). The finding shows the many impacts of climate change, such as hot waves, floods, landslides, droughts, increased diseases in agriculture production, and drying up water resources. Similarly, it shows that traditional adaptive strategies have been changing due to a decline in food crop production over the last two decades. Thus, strong policy efforts need to be prepared to mitigate the adverse impact of climate change on traditional farming methods.