Farmers’ interdependence on plant genetic resources, both within Nepal and beyond, has played a pivotal role in
the development of agriculture. No country in the world is self-sufficient in genetic resources.
• Climate change is further increasing this interdependence because of the need for countries to adapt by
accessing new sources of biodiversity. Little is known, yet, about what shape or course interdependence will
take in light of climate change adaptation in the future.
• Effects of climate change on crop yield are evident in Nepal and have stimulated efforts to identify“novel”
germplasm with better adaptive capacities.
• The Climate Analogues tool can identify geographic areas with similar climate conditions (i.e., analogous sites) in
current, past, and future years, leading to the possibility of finding and exchanging suitably adapted germplasm.
• Using the Climate Analogues tool, we identified current and future analogous sites within and outside Nepal,
suggesting that genetic material could be exchanged with these sites. This could be done by using the
ITPGRFA’s multilateral system.
• Rigorous field-testing of genetic material from analogous sites will help validate the utility of the Climate
Analogues tool.