Abhaya Raj Joshi , Mongabay— Nepal is set to receive its first grant under the Green Climate Fund, an international fund established to help developing countries cope with the impacts of climate change. While authorities in Nepal celebrate the success of the proposal, activists say the project, which focuses on 26 river systems in eastern and central Nepal, faces a host of challenges.

The GCF, which was established as part of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), agreed in November to provide $39.3 million out of an estimated $47.3 million required for a project aimed at increasing the capacity of the people of Nepal’s Churia(also Chure) region cope with and recover from shocks and stresses caused by climate change. According to the proposal, the region, which encompasses the southernmost range of the Himalayan foothills, faces increasing risk of floods, landslides and soil erosion due to intensification of rainfall linked to climate change.

The seven-year project, which mainly focuses on agroforestry, aims to establish field schools to teach farmers sustainable agriculture practices and to train local people in agroforestry techniques. It will also aim to work with local schools and media to raise awareness about sustainable management of natural resources, and will provide funds for erosion-reducing check dams, gully stabilization measures and multi-purpose tree nurseries. These programs will be implemented by Nepal’s Ministry of Forests and Environment and the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the GCF-accredited agency that prepared the project proposal.

The FAO also initiated the idea for the project, and developed it further by consulting communities living in the project areas, such as community forest user and indigenous groups. For full  article : Click