SEMINAR: The use of Indigenous knowledge for climate change adaptation in agriculture: A case study of the Tharu in Western Nepal / PARTICIPATORY GOVERNANCE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT IN INDONESIA: A STUDY OF A NEW VILLAGE DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE

Indigenous knowledge is an important basis for farming and survival in many parts of the world, particularly in Indigenous communities of the developing world. Indigenous knowledge and practices have a dual role in dealing with the problems of climate change. First, they help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture (i.e. climate mitigation) and, second, they prepare people to adjust to the impacts of climate change (i.e. adaptation). The Tharu, an Indigenous people in Nepal, have been largely dependent upon agriculture for centuries. Their farming system is still traditional and subsistence-oriented, whilst gradually being influenced by modern agriculture. There is a knowledge gap in regard to Indigenous knowledge among the Tharu regarding climate change. Therefore, the central question of this study is: how do Indigenous knowledge and practices contribute to resilience in agriculture? The study will also assess the vulnerability of the Tharu to climate impacts and their adaptation strategies to reduce associated risks, particularly in agriculture. Fieldwork will be carried out in two contrasting hazard-prone villages, subject to periodic floods and droughts respectively, in Bardiya district of Western Nepal. The study will use various participatory tools to collect ethnographic information supported by quantitative data collected by administering a household survey. This study will identify adaptation practices, their effectiveness and pathways to resilient agriculture that can be used to improve the livelihoods of the local farmers such as the Tharu.

Biography Buddhi Chaudhary is a development worker who has worked both for government and NGOs in Nepal since 2000. Before starting his PhD at UWA, Buddhi was a Humphrey Fellow at UC Davis. He believes in encouraging the heart, leading to strength and horizontal management.

PARTICIPATORY GOVERNANCE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT IN INDONESIA: A STUDY OF A NEW VILLAGE DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE This research explores the institutionalisation of participatory governance within the state bureaucracy in Indonesia. In particular, this study will evaluate the extent to which the Village Law No. 6/2014 and its policy derivatives (government regulations, ministerial regulations, and district regulations) have improved the quality of governance and the livelihoods of the poor in several villages in District Banyumas (Central Java) and Ngada (Eastern Nusa Tenggara). This research is important because according to previous studies, institutionalization of participatory governance principles into the state bureaucracy is almost impossible as it goes against the interest of politicians, capitalists and bureaucrats, and even some of the villagers themselves. What is more, the participatory approach is implemented in a time when the Indonesian state leans toward a somewhat “strong state”; a contrast that for some people may look contradictory. This study will be a qualitative research project that uses interviews, observation, and document and policy analysis as data collection methods. Additional secondary data will also be collected from such sources as the World Bank and analysed with basic statistical methods. Bio: Muhammad Syukri is Social Researcher at The SMERU Research Institute, in Jakarta, Indonesia. He has an educational background in law (Bachelor) and sociology (Master). Before joining the PhD program at UWA, he did several studies related to village governance, participatory development, livelihood, and poverty reduction.