Do Shifts in Migrant Labour due to COVID ‐19 Affect Climate Change Adaptation Practices of Climate‐Vulnerable Farmers? Implications for the Post‐Pandemic Future

ABSTRACT

The objective of our study is to examine how migrant labour shifts due to the COVID‐19 pandemic influenced the adaptation behaviour of climate‐vulnerable farmers in Nepal. We examine how the resulting temporary change in climate change adaptation behaviour may be sustainable and improved after migrant labour returns to overseas employment by examining the relationship of institutional factors on climate change adaptation practices. A case study is presented using survey data collected from farmers in the Sunsari district of the eastern plains (Terai) region of Nepal during June 2022. Foreign‐employed migrants were found to have a positive relationship with the adoption of climate change adaptation practices. The finding implies that the presence of migrant household members (younger and more educated) is likely to encourage farmers to adopt more climate change adaptation practices. We further find that improving farmers' access to extension programmes, subsidies and the internet can be potentially used to sustain climate change adaptation practices in the post‐pandemic future. We demonstrate this by estimating the number of climate change adaptation practices by increasing farmers' access to extension programmes and subsidies under post‐pandemic labour scenarios. These estimates provide local policymakers tools to potentially improve accessibility to extension programmes or government subsidies that are likely to enhance farmers' climate change adaptation practices.