Mr Karching, now slightly stooped by his 78 years, walks carefully along a narrow irrigation channel, shaded by the dense forest canopy that covers the mountainsides of rural Bhutan. His weathered eyes scan the concrete drains, meticulously checking for leaks and ensuring the water flows unhindered. As he reaches a junction, he lifts a stone, allowing the water to trickle to his neighbour’s rice fields below.

Local community consultations with Mr Karching and other, mostly senior residents, identified this low-tech irrigation and drainage system to tackle growing water scarcity in their traditionally rice-producing region.

But it was only when one of the community’s youngest remaining farmers had the bright idea of using the geo-mapping function on his mobile phone to plan where the network of channels and drains should be constructed that the community felt assured that the precious resources were being distributed equitably to all the farmers’ rain-starved fields.

“One of [our two water sources] is shared by two communities. We used to take turns to secure the water from the source,” said Mr Karching, adding that as water supplies became more restricted in recent years, access to water increasingly led to conflict with allegations of some using more than their fair share, especially during the lengthening dry season.

Water resources are under pressure in this rural community in central Bhutan, as global warming disrupts rainfall patterns. Following community consultations as part of the implementation of the Local Climate Adaptive Living Facility (LoCAL), residents agreed to create a water delivery system using a network of pipes and channels. The system has significantly reduced the amount of water lost to leaks and minimises surface evaporation while ensuring it reaches the areas where farmers need it most.

LoCAL, designed and managed by the UN Capital Development Fund, is a climate finance delivery mechanism. Just as the water project channels water to farmer’s fields, LoCAL channels grants to local governments using established fiscal transfer systems. Once with the local government, community consultations direct how the grants are spent and manage the collectively agreed projects. With increased local engagement, come increased local ownership and the opportunity for new voices to be heard.

One such voice that recently found a platform through the water project in Trong is resident Sonam Wangchuk. At just 24 years old, Mr Wangchuk is bucking a trend across rural Bhutan, choosing to farm the mountainous land of his forebearers rather than migrate to one of Bhutan’s growing urban centres.

“I realized that if you can create something through your own labour, it will remain in your hands even as you age. That’s why I want to be a simple farmer,” explained Mr Wangchuk. When the community water project faltered over suspicions that the water was not being distributed fairly, it was Mr Wangchuk that stepped it in and saved the day.

Using the geo-location tool on his mobile phone, he was able to cross check and, if necessary correct, the layout of the water channels to ensure the water is distributed fairly. The new system stretches over two kilometers and serving two villages, each with approximately 15 households.

With EU funding, Bhutan has expanded LoCAL to over 100 Gewogs, benefiting more than 206,588 people through some 300 small-scale investments like the one in Trong.

Mr. Tashi Rabten is the Gewog Administrative Officer in Trong, Zhemgang. Uniquely, he pioneered and used UNCDF's flagship LoCAL's Performance Based Climate Resilience Grants (PBCRG) method since he started working for local governments over 16 years ago.

He witnessed first-hand the problems faced by rural communities. ‘They can only go from hand to mouth. Climate changes impacts the farmers specifically'.

Once able to cultivate diverse local rice varieties, local farmers like Sonam now have to rely on fast-growing breeds to cope with shorter and increasingly irregular seasons - and even then, they barely have enough to feed themselves and their families. For Mr Tashi, the adaptation investments made with LoCAL made a huge difference as they are people driven.

He explains how LoCAL's PBCRG methods were used to integrate climate adaptation at sub-national levels and that now the systems are in place to ensure that action can be scaled up, if only more funding was available to put plans in action: “At macro level, the government need much more money to respond to the needs”.

Mt Masagang (6997m) is one of the worlds highest peaks and can be seen on the road to Zhemgang.

On the global stage, Bhutan is also supported by LoCAL and is poised to submit a concept note to the Green Climate Fund, aiming to extend the Performance-Based Climate Resilience Grants (PBCRG) mechanism to another 60 Gewogs. Earlier this year, the country achieved middle-income status, a milestone for the mountain kingdom – but also not without risk. The new status means Bhutan won’t access budgets allocated to the Least Developed Countries (LDCs).

For Mr Wangchuk, the water project has encouraged him to look to the future. “Notice some uncultivated fields?” he said, pointing to some land on the horizon. “With more water, they could yield crops.”

Find out more about LoCAL here

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