Local innovations related to climate change:
- Innovation is defined as the development of strategies for risk reduction and adaptation that strengthen the capacity and resilience of underlying system as well as more risk focused approaches.
- The local innovations hence help to cope with rapid changing climate and its impact.
In case of Kenya, the resiliency has been achieved through:
- Reintroduction of traditional crops: the traditional drought resistant crops such as sorghum, pearl millet, finger millet that had been abandoned in favor of maize and beans were reintroduced.
- Cropping calendar: traditional cropping calendar that provides the guidelines for livestock and crops production activities: land preparation, selection of appropriate varieties and breeds was done.
- Sand dams; to enhance perennial availability and accessibility of water two sand dams were constructed which provided the partial barrier across river that traps water hence assist in water conservation.
In case of Nepal the examples of such innovation are:
- Building houses on raised land to protect from flood.
- Rearing of goats and sheep on raised pens.
- change in cropping pattern e.g. in land near to river bed planting of sweet potato, water melons, ground nut, sesame e.t.c.
- Position of seed vessels (kothiya) raised so that the cereals can be saved from water.
- The stilt house (thati ghar) being built for preserving seeds, grains, cereals and utensils during flood.
- Check bunds, dams, wall being built on their own traditional methods to deal with changing pattern of weather.
Diversity of adaptation / innovation cases of Nepal :
- Reduction in tillage and mulching of garlic to cope with less rain
- Additional millet crop in winter
- Hanging nurseries on platforms to protect seedlings against floods
- Own crossbreeding to develop maize varieties that withstand lodging.