Climate change, out-migration and agrarian stress: the potential for upscaling small-scale water storage in Nepal

The publications in this series cover a wide range of subjects—from computer modeling to experience with water user associations—and vary in content from directly applicable research to more basic studies, on which applied work ultimately depends. Some research reports are narrowly focused, analytical and detailed empirical studies; others are wide-ranging and synthetic overviews of generic problems. Although most of the reports are published by IWMI staff and their collaborators, we welcome contributions from others. Each report is reviewed internally by IWMI staff, and by external reviewers. The reports are published and distributed both in hard copy and electronically (www.iwmi.org) and where possible all data and analyses will be available as separate downloadable files. Reports may be copied freely and cited with due acknowledgment. About IWMI IWMI's mission is to improve the management of land and water resources for food, livelihoods and the environment. In serving this mission, IWMI concentrates on the integration of policies, technologies and management systems to achieve workable solutions to real problems—practical, relevant results in the field of irrigation and water and land resources. Climate change, out-migration and agrarian stress: the potential for upscaling small-scale water storage in Nepal. IWMI encourages the use of its material provided that the organization is acknowledged and kept informed in all such instances. Front cover photograph shows a plastic storage pond and irrigated vegetable cultivation in Moli, Okhaldhunga District, Nepal (photo: Fraser Sugden). Acknowledgements The core part of this study was funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (Canadian International Development Agency). Invaluable support in data collection was provided by Prabin Ghimire (former consultant with IWMI-Nepal), Pratibha Sapkota (former consultant with IWMI-Nepal) and Ramesh Tamang (IWMI-Nepal). The authors are grateful for the field support provided by local contacts in the study districts including Amrit Magar, Tika Rai and Saroj Bomjan, and would like to thank Rajendra Shrestha, Rajendra Uprety, the field office staff at the Water and Energy Commission Secretariat (WECS) in Chautara, and the Department of Irrigation in Kathmandu, all of whom provided logistical advice and local expertise. The valuable feedback and comments provided by Brady MacCarl (former intern with IWMI-Nepal) and Vladimir Smakhtin (Theme Leader – Water Availability and Access, IWMI) are greatly appreciated. The CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) provided future climate projections, which were used in the analysis of climate change. CCAFS also supported the latter part of …