Agro-forestry for Enhancing Adaptation of Local Community against Drought in Hilly Region of Nepal

– Nepal is prone to adverse effects of climate change including droughts, floods, landslide, etc. Vulnerabi--lity of communities residing in mountainous areas to climatic hazards, mainly drought, has compelled them to modify their livelihood through various approaches like agroforestry. Agroforestry system, regarded as an efficient means to building resilience towards climate stress in recent years, can address food security, climate change vulnerability, along with the adaptation needs of local inhabitants. This research was carried out in Likhu Rural Municipality, ward number 2 (Ramechhap district) to examine the role of agroforestry system in enhancing adaptation during drought and assessing its effectiveness as an adaptation strategy through various Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) tools. More than 90% of respondents believed that trees on farmland helps to improve the quality of soil and water. Similarly, majority farmers (>80%) with trees on their farms mentioned that agroforestry aided them in terms of financial capital by curtailing risk of being in debt. Local community considered agroforestry as an integral part of their adaptive plan during prolong drought period, where trees are mostly grown on terrace raisers, home gardens, etc. Presence of species like Alnus nepalensis, Litsea monepetala, Schima wallichii, Ficus species, etc., and products from them suggests that agroforestry system is appropriate tool to accretion of waning productivity and adaptation again--st climatic hazards. The results also indicate that agroforestry can be a viable approach to combat climate change, which needs to be reflected in local adaptation plans.