Farmer Laxmi Thapa worried that ditching chemical fertilisers and pesticides would hit her bottom-line. With the help of GRAPE, her input costs have dropped, while her yield, and health, have leapt.

Farming requires perseverance and hard work at the best of times. Now with the effects of climate change firmly embedded in many places across the HKH region, farming communities need to become resilient to these impacts.

Drought, extreme weather events, and shifting pest and disease patterns are some of the challenges posed by a changing climate that affect farmers all over the HKH. One such farmer is Puna Rawat Bhandari, 31, from Dailekh District, in western Nepal, where she plays a vital role as a local resource person at the Community Learning Centre in Bhandaritol, Ward 4, Dullu Municipality.