Back to news
29 Mar 2016 | Gender in Koshi

Mainstreaming Gender and Livelihoods into Water Management

1 min Read

70% Complete

Linking livelihoods and gender issues in the Koshi river basin can improve water resource management, was the key message of the regional ‘Water-livelihoods-gender nexus’, workshop 24-25 March in Kathmandu hosted by the International Centre of Integrated Mountain Development’s (ICIMOD) Koshi Basin Programme (KBP). Over 70 participants including government officials, academic scholars, gender, livelihood and water experts participated.

ICIMOD’s Director General David Molden explained the increasing pressures on water resources of the Koshi basin and the need for an integrated approach mainstreaming livelihoods and especially gender.

‘The Hindu Kush Himalayas are transforming rapidly and we have to change our thinking’, Molden said in his opening remarks.

The regional workshop created a useful platform for professionals with expertise in various sectors of water-related issues to share knowledge through a series of technical presentations and group interactions. Most sessions highlighted gender equality and social inclusion with regard to water resource management and improving livelihoods resilience. Issue specific discussions focused on better roles of marginalised farmers and women in irrigation as well as sustainable intensification of staple crops, low cost livelihood technologies, and training for women farmers in addition to several key discussions. Issues discussed were equally significant in all three countries including China, India and Nepal, all of whom border the Koshi basin.

ICIMOD’s Eklabya Sharma said knowledge was key for policy uptake and whatever  experts do on a higher level ultimately affects farmers on a ground level.

‘The basin’s transboundary management forges a strong link between the three countries and farmers should be linked with their science’, Sharma said.

ICIMOD’s partner HELVETAS (Swiss Intercooperation) provided good examples of how ground-level knowledge has changed the way water resources are managed through water use master plans and enhanced the linkage between the upstream and downstream communities.

KBP’s coordinator Shahriar Wahid added that such competent and improved knowledge would have direct impact on women farmers.  Knowledge such as this is needed specifically on ground water-energy nexus, land reform, crop and livelihood diversification, farmer-managed irrigation system, riverbed farming, and climate change impact on local farmers, and translating science into policy.

Wahid said having more gender-equity discussions, especially on decision making, economic empowerment and capacity development in new agricultural technologies, was important to improving water resource management.

The event was a result of combined efforts of the Nepal government, ICIMOD and its key partners actively engaged in KBP initiative.

Stay current

Stay up to date on what’s happening around the HKH with our most recent publications and find out how you can help by subscribing to our mailing list.

Sign Up

Related content

Continue exploring this topic

10 Nov 2022 News
ICIMOD Mountain Chairs discuss water, energy, and food security in the Eastern Himalayas

Dr Jyoti Prakash Tamang (ICIMOD Mountain Chair 2019–2021, Sikkim University, India) hosted Dr Christopher Scott (ICIMOD Mountain Chair 2020–2022, Penn ...

3 May 2016 HKPL
Rangeland Resources Assessment Protocol for HKPL

ICIMOD met partners from China, Pakistan and Tajikistan in Kathmandu, Nepal on 28-29 April 2016 to discuss and finalize the ...

Bridging Knowledge Gaps: the Effects of Air Pollution on Human Health

Parth Sarathi Mahapatra, a research analyst with the Atmosphere Initiative at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), says ...

16 Mar 2015 News
Challenges of hill communities in Nuwakot District

We visited four government agencies in the district: the District Forest Office (DFO), the District Agriculture Development Office (DADO), the ...

18 Dec 2015 HKPL
Regional consultation on Karakoram-Pamir-Wakhan Landscape Initiative

A regional consultation workshop on programme development for Karakoram-Pamir-Wakhan Landscape Initiative jointly organised by the Wakhan Corridor Initiative and the ...

29 Dec 2015 Himalica
Workshop on ‘Empowering Women as Agents of Change’ Held in Tsirang Dzongkhag, Bhutan

Himalica, together with the Tsirang Dzongkhag, organized a two-day workshop on ‘Empowering Women as Agents of Change’ in Tsirang, Bhutan. ...

1 Jan 2016 News
Linking Gender and Social Inclusion to Value Chain Development

Two gender and social inclusion experts from the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) participated in a value chain ...