Tuesday 21st March 2023
In a breakthrough project for agriculture in Nepal, the Nepal Agriculture Ministry collaborated with UNDP to develop a new tool to identify and track agriculture activity spending.
The new tool is developed to help farmers build resilience against climate change impacts and contribute to reducing carbon emissions.
According to the UNDP press statement, the tool is expected to build more transparency in public spending.
“If we can better capture and track all our expenditures related to climate change, then it will help us to better plan, implement, and monitor programs that meet the farmers’ needs,” Yubak Dhoj was quoted in the statement.
By introducing more accurate methods, the agricultural ministry hopes to set an example for other sectors to better target and mobilize finance to address climate change, he added.
The new tool allows tracking of spending activities up to the field-level.
Based on climate resilience, the agricultural activities are divided into seven categories and each category has its own list of activities that can be included at any time.
The tool will allow key Nepali government officials and local planners to take more ownership and provide leadership in all stages of the climate governance in their respective sectors.
“MoALD’s proactivity sets a good example to other ministries on how public spending can be better monitored to directly address the high need for local communities to adapt to mounting climate risks,” said Dr Simon Lucas, Inclusive Growth and Resilience Team Lead, UK Department for International Development.
“When implemented, these reforms will have far-reaching benefits to Nepalese farmers through smarter sector planning and local budget decision-making,” said Karki.
MoALD Planning and Development Cooperation Coordination Division Yogendra Kumar Karki was instrumental in guiding the taskforce behind the development of the project.
“With the support of our development partners, the agriculture sector in Nepal is innovating and improving the management of public finances to effectively address climate challenges to agricultural livelihoods,” Karki said.
