ABSTRACT
A recent study on possible climate change impacts in Nepal (NCVST 2009) relied on both the “eagle-eye” science of climate modelling, and the more down-to-earth “toad’s eye” science of interviews with farmers. The results complemented each other: global and regional circulation models suggest that temperatures are certain to increase nationwide, though more in the mountains than in the low-lying Tarai plains, and that precipitation will grow more erratic and exhibit regional variations; while farmers of Nepal and other South Asian countries claim that weather patterns have indeed altered. In their experience, the monsoon season starts later; its spatial distribution has changed; its character has changed, with more hail and less frost in some areas; and patterns of snowfall have also altered. The erratic rainfall and rising temperatures have both had spin-off impacts, including delays in planting, shorter growing seasons, withering of crops, and increased incidences of pest infestations and disease outbreaks.
