Presented by IWMI researcher Fraser Sugden, at a high level policy dialog held in Kathmandu Nepal, on April 27, 2016.

1. CRITICAL SOCIO-ECONOMIC ISSUES FOR
LIVELIHOOD AND WATER SECURITY IN NEPAL
Photo: Fraser Sugden / IWMI

2. 1. Water security and equity
• Water security in Nepal is intricately
connected to one’s position in the social
structure.
• Vulnerability to water induced disasters can
depend on the capacity of households to
protect their crops or homesteads
• With regards to water for climate change
adaptation, access is as big a problem as
availability.

3. Water access for groundwater and land tenure
Photo: Fraser Sugden / IWMI

4. Spatial geography of inequality and water
security
Photo: Fraser Sugden / IWMI

5. 2. Convergence of climatic and
economic stress
• Too much focus on climate as a singular
driver of change
• Climate induced water stress combines with
economic pressures such as price rises for
inputs – unique pattern of vulnerability.
• Different groups follow varied strategies to
‘adapt’ - with long term consequences for
agrarian development and wellbeing.

6. Monetisation, debt, and irrigation costs eastern
Tarai-Madhesh: Two patterns of ‘disinvestment’
Photo: Fraser Sugden / IWMI

7. 3. Migration, gender and water
• Male out- migration is critical part of
livelihoods at a time of agrarian stress and
climate change
• This is paving the way for an unprecedented
range of new water access challenges
• Gendered water access has taken on a new
dimension

8. Women’s work burden and constraints to take
up new crops - even with access to water
Photo: Fraser Sugden / IWMI

9. 4. Migration and collective action
• Migration has resulted in a new set of social
constraints to collective action
• Farmer and agency managed irrigation
systems are under stress
• Women have failed to take on formerly
‘male roles’ in public sphere, despite their
newfound on farm responsibilities

10. Breakdown of indigenous irrigation institutions
in Bajhang
Photo: Fraser Sugden / IWMI

11. 5. Combining institutional and
technical solutions
• In the context of the stresses outlined thus
far, a key priority is to build resilience to
agrarian stress through both technical and
socio-economic solutions
• Important component is engaging with
government and non-government partners
in ‘action research’ partnerships

12. Energy solutions for marginal farmers
Photo: Fraser Sugden / IWMI

13. MUS: a promising approach for food security
and gender equality
Photo: Floriane Clement / IWMI

14. Rethinking the agricultural collective – labour,
land and technology pooling for tenant farmers
Photo: Fraser Sugden / IWMI

15. Working with water user committees in
earthquake affected zones
Photo: Fraser Sugden / IWMI

16. • Sustainable development of Nepal’s
hydrological resources for energy
generation is critical for both climate
change resilience and economic growth
• Persisting energy crisis in irrigation
(dependence on diesel)
• Water storage to manage seasonal scarcity –
significant irrigation potential
• Yet, there are equity trade offs
6. Contested hydropower
development

17. Fishing communities in the Koshi floodplains
Photo: Fraser Sugden / IWMI

18. Conclusion
• What are the critical challenges for water
management and water security in Nepal in
an era of climatic, economic and
demographic stress and the post-
earthquake context?
• What are the solutions and what investment
and management decisions are needed?
• How can IWMI’s work in Nepal contribute to
national priorities in the water sector
Photo: Fraser Sugden / IWMI

19. Thank you
Photo: Fraser Sugden / IWMI