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Free course

Climate-Smart Business Planning for ADBL Loan Applicants

A free, self-paced online course that helps farmers and small business owners build a climate-resilient business plan using the nine-block Climate Canvas. In about 90 minutes across four short modules, you'll learn to spot the climate risks facing your business, plan adaptation and mitigation measures that protect your income and cut costs, and prepare a stronger loan application. No prior experience needed — works on any smartphone.

Lesson 1

Know your climate risks

Climate Canvas Training - Module 1 - Climate Risks
ADBL Climate Canvas Training · जलवायु क्यानभास तालिम

Lesson 1 of 4 · about 15 minutes

Know your climate risks · आफ्नो जलवायु जोखिम चिन्नुहोस्

Namaste! नमस्ते! You are applying for a loan to grow your farm or business. ADBL’s system will help create your business plan from a few simple questions. This short course will help you add one important part: climate risk.

Heavy rain, floods, drought, heat, landslides, animal disease, or blocked roads can affect your crops, animals, sales, costs, and income. If these risks are not planned for, they can also make it harder to repay your loan. In this course, you will learn how to: understand the main weather and climate risks for your farm or business; choose simple actions to reduce losses; show how your loan will help protect and grow your business; and prepare better answers for your loan application.

You do not need special knowledge to complete this course. Just think about your own farm, your local area, and the problems you have seen before.

What this course covers
  • Lesson 1 (now) — Which climate risks matter for your district and business
  • Lesson 2 — The Climate Canvas: nine simple blocks on one page
  • Lesson 3 — A worked example: Sita's poultry farm in Chitwan
  • Lesson 4 — Draft your own Climate Canvas and take a short quiz

Common hazards in Nepal

Climate change is not only a world problem — it arrives on your own field, pond, shed, and road. Step one is naming the hazards that can reach your business.

🌊Floods & landslidesDamage sheds, ponds, stored grain; cut roads to market
☀️Drought & erratic monsoonFailed or late crops; dry irrigation; costly water
🌡️Heat wavesStress on livestock and poultry; lower milk and egg yield
🌨️Hail & stormsDestroyed vegetables, fruit, and plastic tunnels
🐛New pests & diseaseWarmer weather brings new outbreaks for crops and animals
🛣️Supply disruptionFeed, seed, and fertilizer arrive late or cost more after disasters

Two ways to respond: adapt and mitigate

Adaptation · अनुकूलन

Protecting your business from climate impacts. Examples: raising a poultry shed floor above flood level, drip irrigation for dry months, crop insurance, keeping feed stock for road closures.

Mitigation · न्यूनीकरण

Reducing the emissions your business creates — which usually saves money. Examples: a solar water pump instead of diesel, biogas from animal waste, efficient machines, less fertilizer waste.

Remember: a good climate plan uses both. Adaptation protects your income. Mitigation lowers your costs. Together they make your loan safer to repay.
Lesson 2

The Climate Canvas: Nine Blocks, One Page

ADBL Climate Canvas Training

Lesson 2 of 4 · about 25 minutes

The Climate Canvas: nine blocks, one page

The Climate Canvas is a one-page planning tool with nine building blocks, inspired by the famous Business Model Canvas. You already answered 6–7 questions for your ADBL business plan — the Canvas adds the climate view. Tap each block below to open its guiding question and examples.

Tap or click a block to open its guiding question and examples. Open all nine before moving on.

Block 1Climate Threats

Guiding question: which climate hazards occur in my district, and how often?

Examples: monsoon floods, drought, heat waves, hailstorms, landslides, new pests and animal diseases.

Tip: ask your ward office or agro-vet which hazards have hit your area in the last 10 years.

Block 2Supply Chain Risks

Guiding question: how can climate events interrupt what comes INTO my business?

Examples: seed and feed deliveries delayed by blocked roads, fertiliser price spikes after a bad season, day-old chicks unavailable after a disease outbreak, fuel shortages during floods.

Tip: list your three most important suppliers and ask: what happens to each of them in a flood year?

Block 3Market Risks

Guiding question: how can climate events interrupt what goes OUT of my business to buyers?

Examples: milk spoiling when collection trucks cannot pass, egg or vegetable prices dropping when market access is cut, buyers cancelling when quality falls after a heat wave.

Tip: know your alternative route or buyer BEFORE the road floods, not after.

Block 4Operational Risks

Guiding question: what can break, die, or stop working on my own farm or site when a hazard strikes?

Examples: irrigation pump flooded, poultry shed overheating, stored grain ruined by damp, greenhouse plastic torn by hail, animals lost to disease outbreaks.

Tip: walk your site and note everything that would suffer in one week of extreme heat and one week of heavy rain.

Block 5Commitments

Guiding question: which emissions and resource use can my business realistically commit to reducing, and by how much?

Examples: replacing a diesel pump with solar, better manure management, reduced fertiliser overuse, energy-efficient cooling, a target like "cut fuel use 40% in 2 years".

Tip: start with the change that also SAVES you money — that commitment is the easiest to keep.

Block 6Key Metrics

Guiding question: which few numbers will show me whether my climate plan is working?

Examples: litres of diesel bought per month, crop yield per season, animal losses per year, water used per hectare, income after a hazard year vs a normal year.

Tip: choose numbers you already see anyway — a metric you must hunt for is a metric you will stop tracking.

Block 7Mitigation & Adaptation

Guiding question: what will I change to PROTECT the business from blocks 1–4 (adaptation) and to DELIVER the commitments in block 5 (mitigation)?

Examples: adaptation — raised shed floors, drought-tolerant seeds, drip irrigation, water storage, insurance; mitigation — solar panels, biogas digester, composting, tree planting, better insulation.

Tip: match every serious threat with at least one measure, and write each measure with a date and a person responsible.

Block 8Financial Outlays

Guiding question: what will my measures cost, and when do I need the money?

Examples: solar system cost in NPR, insurance premiums, improved seed price difference, construction of raised storage, maintenance each season.

Tip: separate one-time investments from recurring costs — your ADBL loan officer will ask for exactly this split.

Block 9Financial Benefits

Guiding question: what will these measures earn or save, so the plan pays for itself?

Examples: diesel savings from solar, fewer losses in bad years, better prices for reliable quality, insurance payouts, new income from compost, biogas slurry or timber.

Tip: compare block 9 against block 8 over 3–5 years — if benefits do not exceed outlays, refine the plan before you borrow.

Open each of the nine blocks to read its guiding question and examples before moving on.

Lesson 3

A Worked Example: Sita's Poultry Farm

ADBL Climate Canvas Training · जलवायु क्यानभास तालिम

Lesson 3 of 4 · about 20 minutes

Worked example: Sita's poultry farm, Chitwan

Sita runs a 2,000-bird poultry farm near Bharatpur and is applying for a Saral Krishi Karja loan of NPR 15 lakh to expand to 5,000 birds. ADBL's system generated her business plan from her answers. Here is the Climate Canvas she completed alongside it.

1Climate threats
  • Monsoon floods (Narayani river plain)
  • Heat waves April–June
  • New poultry disease outbreaks
2Supply chain risks
  • Feed trucks delayed when highway floods
  • Day-old chicks scarce after outbreaks
3Market risks
  • Egg prices drop if market access is cut
4Operational risks
  • Shed floor floods in heavy rain
  • Power cuts stop fans → heat deaths
5Commitments
  • Replace diesel generator hours with solar backup
  • Compost litter instead of open dumping
  • Target: cut fuel use 40% in 2 years
6Key metrics
  • Bird mortality in hot months
  • Diesel litres per month
  • Days of feed stock held
7Mitigation & adaptation
  • Raise new shed floor 0.6 m, improve drainage
  • Keep 2 weeks of feed stock before monsoon
  • Livestock insurance on the new flock
  • Solar panels + battery for fans and lighting
  • Better insulation → less cooling need
  • Sell composted litter to vegetable farmers
8Financial outlays
  • Raised shed + drainage: NPR 2.5 lakh
  • Solar system: NPR 3 lakh
  • Insurance premium: NPR 40k per year
9Financial benefits
  • Diesel saving about NPR 8k per month
  • Fewer heat deaths about NPR 1.5 lakh per season
  • Compost sales about NPR 5k per month
What the loan officer sees: Sita's NPR 15 lakh request now includes NPR 5.5 lakh of climate measures that protect the other NPR 9.5 lakh — and generate savings that improve her repayment capacity. That is a stronger application.

Figures are illustrative for training purposes.

Lesson 4

Draft Your Own Climate Canvas

Climate Canvas Training - Module 4 - Your Canvas
ADBL Climate Canvas Training · जलवायु क्यानभास तालिम

Lesson 4 of 4 · about 30 minutes

Draft your own Climate Canvas

Now write a first draft for your business. Short phrases are fine — this is a working page, not an essay. When you finish, use your browser's Print → Save as PDF to keep your completed canvas, and bring it to your ADBL branch with your loan application.

Quick knowledge check

Select an answer to see if it is correct. There is no time limit — try again until you get it right.

1. What is the difference between adaptation and mitigation?

2. Sita included a raised shed floor and drainage in her plan. Which Canvas block is that?

3. Why should climate measures appear in your loan request amount?

4. A solar water pump replacing a diesel pump is an example of...

Your application checklist

  • Answer ADBL's business-plan questions as usual (6–7 questions)
  • Complete your Climate Canvas draft above and save it as a PDF
  • Include the cost of adaptation and mitigation measures in your loan amount
  • Bring the Canvas to your branch and discuss it with your loan officer
  • After approval, track your key metrics each month (block 7)
Need help? Visit your nearest ADBL branch or adbl.gov.np. For the Climate Canvas guide and web app, see climatecanvas.org.

Quiz & assessments

Quiz

Passing score 70%