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Evolving high altitude livelihoods and climate change: a study from Rasuwa District, Nepal

Author

Listed:
  • Douglas James Merrey

    (Independent Consultant on Natural Resources Policy and Institutions)

  • Abid Hussain

    (International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD))

  • Deepak Dorje Tamang

    (SEARCH)

  • Bhuwan Thapa

    (University of Arizona)

  • Anjal Prakash

    (International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD))

Abstract

This study examined local people’s perception of climate change and its impacts on their livelihoods, and identified key opportunities and threats arising in four Village Development Committees in the high mountains of Rasuwa District, Nepal. The local people are still heavily dependent on agriculture and livestock for their food security and livelihoods, despite the involvement of a significant proportion of households in non-agricultural income-generating activities, such as tourist services and labour work in other areas (outmigration). In agriculture, farmers mainly cultivate traditional food crops such as millets, buckwheat, local beans, and barley. They also cultivate rice, potato, and vegetables. Agriculture is mainly rainfed with a few exceptions of micro-irrigation systems fed by springs and snow-melt water. The impacts of climate change are mixed to date: changes in patterns of snowfall and snowmelt, rainfall, and temperatures are having both positive and negative impacts. Households are adapting to this changing climate through changes in their cropping patterns, integration of livestock with agriculture, and adoption of non-farm income activities. There are also new opportunities coming up at the study sites such as new markets for vegetables, traditional crops, and livestock.

Suggested Citation

  • Douglas James Merrey & Abid Hussain & Deepak Dorje Tamang & Bhuwan Thapa & Anjal Prakash, 2018. "Evolving high altitude livelihoods and climate change: a study from Rasuwa District, Nepal," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 10(4), pages 1055-1071, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:ssefpa:v:10:y:2018:i:4:d:10.1007_s12571-018-0827-y
    DOI: 10.1007/s12571-018-0827-y
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Nina Holmelin & Tor Halfdan Aase, 2013. "Flexibility of Scope, Type and Temporality in Mustang, Nepal. Opportunities for Adaptation in a Farming System Facing Climatic and Market Uncertainty," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 5(4), pages 1-19, March.
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    4. Abid Hussain & Golam Rasul & Bidhubhusan Mahapatra & Shahriar Wahid & Sabarnee Tuladhar, 2018. "Climate change-induced hazards and local adaptations in agriculture: a study from Koshi River Basin, Nepal," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 91(3), pages 1365-1383, April.
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    6. Lipy Adhikari & Abid Hussain & Golam Rasul, 2017. "Tapping the Potential of Neglected and Underutilized Food Crops for Sustainable Nutrition Security in the Mountains of Pakistan and Nepal," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(2), pages 1-18, February.
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    Cited by:

    1. Lipy Adhikari & Sabarnee Tuladhar & Abid Hussain & Kamal Aryal, 2019. "Are Traditional Food Crops Really ‘Future Smart Foods?’ A Sustainability Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(19), pages 1-16, September.
    2. Sikha Karki & Paul Burton & Brendan Mackey & Clair Alston-Knox, 2021. "Status and drivers of food insecurity and adaptation responses under a changing climate among smallholder farmers households in Bagmati Province, Nepal," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 23(10), pages 14642-14665, October.
    3. Abid Hussain & Faisal Mueen Qamar & Lipy Adhikari & Asif Iqbal Hunzai & Atta ur Rehman & Kosar Bano, 2021. "Climate Change, Mountain Food Systems, and Emerging Opportunities: A Study from the Hindu Kush Karakoram Pamir Landscape, Pakistan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-21, March.
    4. Srijana Joshi & Lily Shrestha & Neha Bisht & Ning Wu & Muhammad Ismail & Tashi Dorji & Gauri Dangol & Ruijun Long, 2020. "Ethnic and Cultural Diversity amongst Yak Herding Communities in the Asian Highlands," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-25, January.
    5. Satoru Komatsu & Yuki Yamamoto & Yutaka Ito & Shinji Kaneko & Ram Prasad Dhital, 2020. "Water for life: ceaseless routine efforts for collecting drinking water in remote mountainous villages of Nepal," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 22(8), pages 7909-7925, December.

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