In the agricultural heartland of Gulariya Municipality, Bardiya, climate change impacts are a daily reality. For smallholder farmers, especially from Dalit and marginalised communities, irregular rainfall, rising temperatures, and new pest patterns have made traditional farming practices untenable. Despite these changes, their voices were largely absent from local policy discussions on climate adaptation and agriculture.
Through the Youth Leadership for Climate Action project, The Nepali Foundation for Media Development Group (TNFMDG) in Bardiya initiated policy dialogues to bridge this gap. The first dialogue brought together local farmers, the municipality's Agriculture Branch, and the District Agriculture and Livestock Development Office. For many farmers, it was their first time sitting at the same table as government officials and technical experts.
One farmer, a Dalit woman from a small community on the outskirts of Gulariya, shared her story: "Last year, we lost almost our entire vegetable. We didn't know what it was or how to stop it. We heard the municipality had programs for farmers, but we didn't know how to access them, and frankly, we didn't think they were meant for people like us."
The dialogue provided a safe, structured platform for these concerns. Following this, TNFMDG facilitated two more dialogues: one with Dalit youth and another with Dalit women representatives, focusing on gender-responsive climate policy. These sessions were not just about airing grievances but about education and empowerment. Participants learned about the municipal planning and budgeting cycle and their right to participate.
The culmination of this process was a position paper, co-created by the community and submitted to the Deputy Mayor of Gulariya Municipality. The paper didn't just list problems; it offered concrete recommendations, such as creating a dedicated support line for farmers to report crop issues, establishing demonstration plots for climate-resilient seeds in marginalised communities, and ensuring that information about agricultural subsidies reaches women and Dalit farmers.
About the programme
This grant partnership is part of the British Council’s Youth for Climate and Social Action (YCSA) project, which supports Nepali youth in building skills, networks, and leadership to drive climate and social initiatives. Through its Strengthening Youth Civil Society component, YCSA provides grants and mentorship to youth-led CSOs to strengthen meaningful youth engagement, resilience and social cohesion. This year, the British Council partnered with Dalit Lives Matter Global Alliance to empower Dalit youth with advocacy skills, support Joint Action Plans and GESI-responsive, climate-focused local policies across Madhesh and Lumbini, and engage 10 youth-led CSOs.
