Question

case study: drought in nepal

Answer 1

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the changes in rice-growing area over a decade (2000–2009) using remote-sensing techniques in combination with socioeconomic information and national statistics. Temporal rice area and land-use changes in Nepal were mapped using MODIS (MOD09A1) 500 m time-series data and spectral matching techniques (SMTs). This analysis presents mapped agricultural cropland change detected over a large area, where fuzzy classification accuracies range between 67% and 91% for various rice classes, with an accuracy of 82% for field-plot data. The MODIS-derived rice areas for the districts were highly correlated with national statistical data with R2 values of 0.9918. We observed a significant decline (13%) in rice cultivated area in 2006 compared with the average over the remaining years. The higher reduction in rice area was mainly restricted to the rainfed districts of the eastern, central, and midwestern regions due to severe drought incidence, particularly in 2006. The area under the rainfed rice ecosystem continues to predominate, recording the largest share among rice classes across all the years from 2000 to 2009. The use of remote-sensing techniques is a rapid, cost-effective, and reliable measure to monitor changes in rice cultivated area over long periods of time and estimate the reduction in area cultivated due to climatic stress such as drought. Reinforced with methods and information in socioeconomics, these techniques could be used for mapping agricultural land-use changes, production planning, and targeting. Agricultural research and development institutions in Nepal can use these techniques for better planning, regular monitoring of land-use changes, and technology transfer.

Highlights

• Mapping of temporal rice and land use change using GIS and remote sensing methods. • Validated the correlation between the generated rice map and national statistics. • Examined the changes in price, area and production of rice using socioeconomic data. • Targeted drought areas to promote stress tolerant varieties. • Promote usage of this method to strength planning and targeting of R & D programs.

Answer 2

In 2015-'16, a drought hit Nepal’s mid-west area. Farmers of Bajhang community found themselves trapped in the misfortune of sustaining food vulnerability and poverty and were compelled to emigrate to Simikot, the headquarters of the nearby Humla district, to look for work.

According to the administration, the drought – which was critical in 40 years has increased the region’s financial vulnerability. But there has been little effort to learn the circumstances of this danger, and more instantly, that of the drought itself.

Far-western areas like Bajhang and Bajura and mid-western areas in the Karnali zone – Humla, Jumla, Mugu, Dolpo, Kalikot – have persisted in the grasp of resolute poverty.

In 2011, Humla stood raised in Nepal on the hunger index, a place it held even in 2001. According to the UNDP’s Human Development Report 2014, it was also amongst the deepest of five districts in terms of training, and child nourishment and the overall Human Development Index.

A reason for this unreasonable financial vulnerability is the turning territory and the identical absence of roads, making it challenging for the environment, the market and non-government institutions to access the district to procure services and goods.