Women Cooperators in Nepal Turn Climate Anxiety into a Training Ground

From 11 to 13 August, the ICA-AP Committee on Women brought a Training of Trainers Programme on Climate Change and Action for Women Cooperators to Kathmandu, organised with the National Confederation of Cooperatives (NATCCO), Philippines, and hosted by National Cooperative Federation of Nepal (NCFN) and Nepal Agricultural Coop Central Federation (NACCFL).

For Nepal, this training could not have come at a more relevant time. Cooperatives across the country work closely with farming families and rural communities whose lives and incomes are tied to land, water and local markets. Nepal has since been hit by severe flash floods, a painful reminder of just how exposed these communities are to climate shocks. ICA-AP extends its deepest sympathy and solidarity to all those affected, including cooperative members and communities now working to recover and rebuild.

Mr. Ramesh Prasad Pokhrel of NCFN and Mr. Akaraj Upreti of NACCFL welcomed participants, while Ms. Chitose Arai, Chairperson of the ICA-AP Committee on Women, sent a video message and Mr. Balasubramanian G. Iyer, Regional Director of ICA-AP, addressed the group in person. Over three days, NATCCO trainers Ms. Daisybelle M. Cabal and Ms. Lasalette M. Gumban walked participants through the fundamentals of climate change, its gendered impacts, and the mitigation, adaptation and climate-responsive services cooperatives can offer, alongside sessions on energy and waste audits, climate-compliant products, and the Green Co-op Assessment Tool.

What stood out was how personal the discussions became. Women participants shared first-hand accounts of shifting rainfall, crop loss and unpredictable weather, tying climate change directly to livelihoods, food security and the safety of their communities. Group work on climate action and communication plans, plus a session on using social media to raise awareness, gave the training a practical edge. It closed with group presentations, feedback and re-entry planning, with Mr. Iyer and Mr. Pokhrel delivering closing remarks and Ms. Priti Patel, Vice-Chairperson of the Committee on Women, sending a video message of her own.

Ahead of the main programme, on 10 August, ICA-AP also ran a half-day session for board members and staff from NACCFL, NCBL and NEMCCU, facilitated by Ms. Lasalette M. Gumban. The smaller group worked through the basics of climate change, green cooperative indicators and climate-compliant products, took part in quizzes, and conducted an energy audit of their own organisations — a hands-on nudge to look inward before looking outward.

ICA-AP thanks NCFN and NACCFL for hosting, and NATCCO for its continued partnership. The training reaffirmed a simple point: women cooperators are already on the frontline of climate response, and giving them the tools to lead it is not a side project but core cooperative business.