After insufficient rain caused crops to fail, many people have had to move away from the countryside and into the cities in a desperate search for jobs and food. 79% of the population live in rural areas and some have had to abandon a way of life and farming that has been consistent for 120 years.
This harvest season, Tearfund is making an appeal for aid to help people across the world such as those families in Nepal who are facing severe problems because of climate change. Gifts this harvest will help communities overcome poverty, empowering them to grow into their full potential.
Most farmers in Nepal are subsistence farmers – meaning they can only plant enough to feed their families. When crops fail, families go hungry. Young people are forced to move away from once thriving villages to find work elsewhere and communities perish.
Jaman, a farmer from mid-western Nepal, said: “It doesn’t rain when it should. Sometimes there is drought. Because of this everyone is suffering.”
Working through local partners, Tearfund has helped support families like Jaman’s so they can adapt to the new conditions. This includes training on protecting crops from the increasing number of insects which means farmers are able to grow enough food to feed their families and sell the remainder in markets.
Jaman said: “There is a vast difference. I learned new skills. What vegetables to plant in the winter and the rainy season. How many days to sprout the seeds and how long they should be covered.”
This harvest season, when Christians traditionally share food parcels with the wider community in need, Tearfund is launching an appeal for funds for its work across the world where communities have been impacted by climate change.
As well as responding to immediate needs, Tearfund and its local partners around the world are working to address the root causes of climate change through campaigning and holding governments to account to deliver on their promises to cut greenhouse gas emissions and provide climate finance to help low income countries like Nepal respond to the devastating impacts of climate change.
Nepal is one of the countries on the frontline of the climate crisis that is having to divert vital funding away from public services such as education, healthcare and schools to protect itself against the effects of changes in weather patterns.
In Nepal, Tearfund is working with local partners helping build greater community cohesion whilst engaging local government organisations and institutions. These groups then explore new market opportunities, looking at how to utilise natural resources and train community members to farm sustainably to improve productivity and create greater security.
Ruth Tormey, Head of Church and Supporter Engagement at Tearfund, said: “Communities are being pushed into extreme poverty because of climate change. However, with funds from Tearfund supporters, we can help more families adapt and grow despite their circumstances, as we have seen in Jaman’s case. They can have hope that they will be able to adapt to the changing climate and provide enough food for themselves.”
To learn more about Tearfund’s appeal for funds for its work in countries like Nepal, please visit: www.tearfund.org/harvestnepal
ENDS
For further information or interview requests contact Matt Cooper on 07929 353 530 or [email protected] or for out of hours media enquiries please call 07929 339813.
Photos:
Credit:Rabi Rokka/Tearfund.
Photos may be downloaded from: https://tearfund.resourcespace.com/?c=22154&k=89a636d244
Using password: h4rv3staPpeal!2022
Description: Jaman working on his land in Nepal.
Notes to editors:
Tearfund is a Christian charity that partners with churches in more than 50 of the world’s poorest countries. We tackle poverty through sustainable development, responding to disasters and challenging injustice. We believe an end to extreme poverty is possible. Tearfund is also a member of the Disasters Emergency Committee. For more information about the work of Tearfund, please visit www.tearfund.org.
