Building Agroforestry-based Adaptation plans for Resilient floodplains (BAGAR)

Nepal is highly vulnerable to climate change and multi-hazards, especially regular monsoon floods and unpredictable climate-induced flooding. Adaptation measures are urgently needed in the country’s river basins, which are hotspots of ecosystems and ecosystem services that sustain the climate-sensitive livelihoods of marginalised communities. Sedimentation has rendered floodplain lands uncultivable, causing food insecurity and loss of livelihood opportunities, especially for women and marginalised groups.  

The project Building Agroforestry-based Adaptation plans for Resilient floodplains (BAGAR) will focus on the regeneration and sustainable management of floodplains in Nepal’s Bagmati river basin. The two project areas are in Marin municipality, located in the mid-hills, and Gadhimai municipality, located in the lowlands of the Bagmati river basin. These areas are representative of dozens of similar municipalities in the region. These marginalised groups have limited influence in local governance processes, compounded by a system of informal land tenure. Although mandatory, the municipalities have not yet developed formal or inclusive land use plans.  

Under the project, adaptation plans will be developed collaboratively with vulnerable local communities and will emphasise agroforestry practices that promote native fodder species, which support key ecosystem services and provide livestock feed for the community smallholder farmers. This will achieve social and environmental benefits in flood risk reduction and create opportunities for growing fodder and food that can withstand frequent flooding. The adaptation plans will serve as models for scaling up riparian restoration and sustainable floodplain management to other interested municipalities. 

Project Updates

1. Strengthened Local Ownership and Coordination: Inception meetings were organized at the municipal level to introduce the project, present its scope and planned interventions, validate workplans and strengthen coordination with local governments and community stakeholders. These activities fostered strong ownership and commitment from municipal and ward authorities and generated interest in piloting and scaling EbA initiatives.

2. Established Inclusive EbA Governance Systems: Ecosystem-Based Adaptation (EbA) Forums were established at both ward and municipal levels to promote inclusive and participatory decision-making. Ward-level forums brought together representatives from local government, community forest and water user groups, agricultural groups, disaster management committees, youth clubs and eco-clubs, while municipal-level forums engaged elected representatives and key sectoral departments. The forums ensured meaningful participation of women and vulnerable and marginalized groups.

3. Generated Evidence for Climate Planning: Stakeholder analysis workshops and key informant interviews were conducted to map relevant institutions, assess capacities and identify priority climate risks and adaptation opportunities, providing strong evidence base for targeted interventions.

 4. Enhanced Institutional Capacity of EbA: Institutional capacity for EbA and Nature-based Solutions (NbS) was strengthened through the development of a training manual, climate vulnerability and risk assessments, and ward- and municipal-level capacity building trainings.

• Completion and validation of two multi-stakeholder Climate Vulnerability and Risk Assessments (VRAs) establishing a strong evidence base for climate-resilient and risk-informed municipal planning and prioritization of adaptation actions.
• Development of Comprehensive EbA/NbS Training Manual provided municipal governments and community institutions with a scientifically grounded and practice-oriented resource to design and institutionalize ecosystem-based measures for watershed management, floodplain restoration and climate-adaptive livelihoods.
• 16 ward-level EbA forum trainings, 2 municipal-level capacity-building workshops and 74 ward-level EbA forum meetings enhancing technical understanding, coordination, and integration of EbA priorities into local planning processes.

5. Integrated EbA into Land Use Frameworks: Land use plans for restoration of floodplains and agroforestry guidelines were developed:

• Development and adoption of two Municipal level Land Use Plans embedding climate risk reduction, ecosystem restoration and ecosystem-based adaptation principles into formal municipal spatial and development planning frameworks.
• Development and adoption of two Agroforestry Guidelines promoting climate-resilient livelihoods, sustainable land management and nature-based production systems aligned with EbA and NbS approaches.