Physical manifestations of climate change are observable and experienced at the community level by farmers, as illustrated by data from the study in the Mandan-Deupur village of the hilly region of Nepal in 2023. Through household surveys, semi-structured interviews, observations, and informal conversations, farmers reported not only witnessing the impacts of climate change on their agricultural practices and food productivity but also practicing their own resilience mechanisms. Their adaptive strategies are grounded in local knowledge and lifetime experiences rather than predictive models or formulas preferred by agro-climatologists. Such grounded perspectives can offer valuable insights for policymakers and development practitioners in formulating effective mitigation policies and programs to address existing climatic risks on agriculture and enhance food security.
Keywords: Climate change, Food insecurity, Local knowledge, Nepal, Resilience