The ‘gift’ of climate change knowledge: Acquisition of climate change knowledge in rural farmer communities of Darma Rural municipality-1, Salyan, Nepal : A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Applied Science at Lincoln University

Abstract

Climate change is the most pressing issue in today’s world. The impacts of climate change raises concerns for rural agricultural communities of developing countries because livelihoods in these rural communities are often vulnerable to climate disruption. Nepal, a developing country, is considered one of the most vulnerable to climate change. For 74% of the Nepalese population, agriculture is the main source of livelihood. The Mid-Western hills of Nepal are susceptible to climate change due of difficult geographic terrain and complex social and cultural reasons. In order to adapt to a changing climate, knowledge of the cause of this change and identifying its effects enables rural farmer communities to make better decisions. However, rarely does information on climate change reach such rural farmer communities. In addition, there is a mismatch of knowledge demand and knowledge supply in rural Nepal. Preparation of Local Adaptation Plans of Action (LAPAs) has been established in Nepal as a means of addressing this lack of knowledge while providing a mechanism for future adaptive actions. A key process carried out as part of the LAPA preparation is the ‘sensitisation’ of participants to the nature of climate change. Two main research questions based on the LAPA process drove this research: how climate change knowledge is disseminated in the rural farmer communities through the LAPA sensitising processes and how this knowledge has influenced locals' understanding of climate change. These questions aid in addressing the broader question - how rural farmer communities acquire climate change knowledge. The research comprises a case study of a government endorsed LAPA workshop conducted in Darma Rural Municipality-1 of Salyan, a rural area in the Mid-Western hills of Nepal. The results show that the rural farmer communities were sensitised throughout the entire LAPA workshop, not just during the section dedicated to sensitisation. The participants’ learning was aided by showing how the climate change information related to their personal experiences. It was found that five out of 28 participants interviewed after the workshop had not learnt anything, while 16 participants were ‘rote’ learners and only seven were ‘meaningful’ learners. The meaningful learners were able to develop procedural knowledge, which helped them to convert gained knowledge into practice. The acquisition of such knowledge lead to learning, which in turn changed the beliefs and behaviour of some participants. Some participants were able to share the learning with their family members. Thus, knowledge is spread from one unit to another and brings change, exemplifying a form of social learning. The study suggests that such social learning can be a response to knowledge provided through such climate change adaptation processes as LAPA in rural farmer communities. While the results show that knowledge was acquired by most participants, social and cultural drivers created boundaries to understanding. These were overcome through the effective use of PRA tools in the LAPA workshop and may be aided in the future by integrated knowledge management and dissemination through school textbooks.