Local responses to too much and too little water in the greater Himalayan region
These factors enabled people in these three villages to the government promotes the establishment of water
change cropping patterns, improve farming technology, user associations in areas that have recently received
intensify agricultural practices, change irrigation infrastructure investments. However, it does not support
methods, and diversify livelihoods. In Daojie and improved management of existing water infrastructure.
Taokong, once a drought occurs, the extent to which Although Flood and Drought Management Coordination
households are able to cope depends on the extent Committees exist, they appear to be providing only
to which they are engaged in diversified agricultural limited support to rural areas, mostly of which is post-
practices and off-farm income generation. disaster relief.
Constraining factors Conclusions
During the communal period, individual households • Chinese government policies play a key role in
did not have discretionary power for decisions on land shaping the extent to which rural households and
use. This affected their ability to adapt to changing villages have the capacity to adapt to climate
biophysical and socioeconomic conditions. For change-induced risks. Adaptation may not
example, people in a dry, hot valley were forced to occur without enabling policies and institutional
plant cash crops without consideration of climate there, arrangements. However, the Chinese government
so often agricultural production efforts failed. has often implemented differing, and sometimes
contradictory, policies that affect local adaptive
Inappropriate technology might cause maladaptation capacities.
– All three villages have access to technology, which • Economic reform and shifts in property regimes
allows villagers choose varieties of crops needing more have weakened rural institutions and collective
chemical fertilisers and pesticides. These have negative management of water resources. Large-scale water
impacts on water quality and human health, which infrastructure developed during the collective period
many villagers do not yet realise, but which are likely to has been poorly maintained due to ambiguity in
increase in the future. property rights and financial support since the
introduction of the HRS. Farmers face challenges
Lack of governance for maintenance – Old water to adapt to both climate change and China’s
infrastructure is still the basis for irrigation and drinking changing socioeconomic conditions.
water supplies in the communities, but the lack of • Rural transformation and off-farm opportunities
maintenance of these systems is currently causing water reduce exposure to risks induced by climate
shortages. For example, in Taokong, an irrigation change. The thirty-year process of economic reform
channel from the reservoir built in 1956 is now filling has helped a large population to come out of
with sediment. The dam has also developed physical poverty. Urbanisation is creating more opportunities
weaknesses. In part, these problems reflect the relative for off-farm jobs and niche products for rural
lack of governance for the management of these farmers. The remittance economy enables villagers
infrastructures. to invest in protected farming, such as greenhouses
for vegetables, and diversified livelihoods, like
Bias in government extension agendas may not benefit livestock.
the majority of farmers – Local level governments • The diverse biophysical and socioeconomic
depend on fiscal revenue from taxes on certain cash conditions at the three sites present varying degrees
crops, such as tobacco and sugar cane. Consequently, of exposure to natural hazards and climate-induced
the delivery of extension services is biased towards risks and offer diverse options for adaptation.
tobacco and sugar cane producing areas. For example, Villagers at the three sites encounter different
in Taokong, the government responds immediately to climate change-induced risks at varied elevations
hail disasters because it receives revenue from tobacco and socioeconomic conditions. A shift in monsoon
crops. The local officials are responsible to higher ones patterns has triggered both more frequent landslides
for ensuring tax income from tobacco. in high elevation areas and water stresses in low
elevation areas. Women and elders in rural areas
Limited financial support for functioning institutions are exposed more directly to climate risks. Water
– The management of existing water infrastructure is poverty occurs mainly in the highlands and the
problematic in many areas of Baoshan. Currently, dry-hot valley due to inadequate water-harvesting
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