Small development initiatives in rural Himalayan communities

Introduction

The Indian Himalayan Region (IHR) is a unique geographic and ethnic entity. Sacred in various cultures, the Himalayas are a life sustaining system not only for the 57,000 mountain village communities but also for the entire Indo-Gangetic Plains with over a billion inhabitants. The Himalayas are young and tectonically active, making them geologically vulnerable and more susceptible to natural calamities and climate change. The people and economy of the mountains are closely linked with its natural resources. Most of the mountain population is rural and marginalised, dependent on subsistence farming for their livelihood. The agricultural community of the mountains is highly vulnerable, considering environmental degradation, transformation of socio-economic conditions, climate change and natural disasters. Population growth, unregulated tourism, intensification of agricultural activities and natural resource exploitation has led to an imbalance in the ecosystem, which was visible during the recent floods, landslides and earthquakes. Despite the well-established significance of mountains and their profound effect on the whole sub-continent, the region and its indigenous people remain neglected. 

Mountain communities commonly get the least benefits from the large projects that exploit their natural resources. 

There is a widespread inequality between economic development of lowlands and highlands. Though the subject of climate change and bio-geology of the Himalayas has been in focus, little is being done to understand the vulnerabilities and adaptive capacities of its local communities. The need of the moment is to develop sustainable practices, which integrate livelihood improvement of local communities while mitigating climate change and environmental risks.

Small-scale innovations for sustainable development

Grassroot level innovations with participation from rural communities are the key drivers for transitioning towards sustainable development in mountainous regions. These initiatives at ground level represent an inclusive approach where communities – along with support organisations or activists – work together to come up with pro-environment, affordable and contextually suitable solutions.

Small-scale interventions, as discussed in the article, encourage resource conservation, capacity building and socio-economic empowerment of communities. In order to create better livelihoods, large-scale environmental challenges need to be looked at from the point of view of everyday actions taken on the ground. Traditional knowledge and practices along with modern technology promote sustainable solutions, which can be easily adapted for the advantage of the local community. 

Through three case studies from rural Uttarakhand, this article reflects on how these small-scale initiatives are augmenting development in the Himalayan region.

Uttarakhand

Uttarakhand is a Himalayan state with varying topographies from snow-clad mountains to tropical forests at lower elevations. Approximately 70% of the population of the state is rural and dependent on rain-fed subsistence agriculture. However, weather uncertainties, increased temperatures and untimely rainfall have significantly reduced agricultural production over the last decade. Apple cultivation, for which India ranks fifth in the world (FAO, 2019), is mainly produced in Himalayan states. Similar to other crops, though the cultivation area has increased over time, the production of apples is decreasing, significantly impacting the livelihood of local communities. Human-induced land transformation further includes conversion of forest land for development-related activities. Continuous decrease in forest cover adversely affects microclimate, soil quality and availability of water.

As the challenges of pursuing agriculture are rising, unemployment and out-migration for alternative livelihood are becoming increasingly common in Uttarakhand. In response to the growing need for sustainable livelihoods, various projects and schemes have been initiated by local governments and NGOs in the field of water conservation, integrated farming and capacity building. Communities are increasing their resilience and developing adaptive techniques to combat issues of climate risks and linked vulnerabilities, reflected in irrigation methods, resource management techniques and mixing high yield drought tolerant crop varieties.

CASE STUDIES

Integrated Farming
Barsu Village, Uttarakhand

For efficient resource management and monetary gains, farmers in Uttarakhand are practicing integrated farming. The model includes water harvesting tanks for irrigation and fish breeding, with solar poly greenhouses for vegetable and poultry in a complementary system. The pond water can be utilised year-round for growing vegetables and fish. Some examples of fish being bred include trout, mahseer and silver and common carp. These species have high demand and provide substantial return to the farmers. Grass grown over the pond can be used to feed poultry and poultry waste can be used as fish food. 

This cyclical system helps in waste management and resource conservation. 

Poly houses can be used to grow vegetables all year round, by maintaining the desired atmosphere in terms of temperature and humidity. 

Diverse crops can be grown in harsh winters inside the poly house. Higher yields can be achieved through this method as compared to open cultivation. Solar poly greenhouses can be constructed by farmers locally and are cost effective. Integrated farming provides food security to the farmers, a nutritious diet along with financial benefits. The State Government is also helping farmers by providing services, basic needs, technical training and access to markets.

Drip Irrigation System
Raithal Village, Uttarakhand

Approximately 90% of agricultural land in the Uttarakhand region is rain-fed and uses natural topography for directing water towards the field using gravitational flow. In a traditional system, irrigation channels are dug along the contour edge of the field to bring in water. With scarcity of water in streams and uncertainty in seasonal rain, farmers are facing difficulties.

Drip irrigation is an efficient method used by farmers to conserve water and increase productivity for fruits and vegetables. Farmers can achieve up to ten times more yield in the same size farm with the use of the drip irrigation method. 

Farmers can diversify fruit crops and grow temperate fruits using this method even on small land holdings into an orchard-based farming system. A new method of growing fruit as creepers using the drip irrigation method is also being developed, which provides more yield and shortens the harvesting period.

In the drip irrigation method, water is dropped uniformly and precisely at a very slow rate through pipes using drippers to directly reach the plant’s root zone. This system is adaptable for any farm slope and even in poor soil and can be supported through storing rooftop rain or snow melt in storage tanks. This technique reduces water consumption as well as water loss due to evaporation and can be used in places facing water scarcity.

Improved Gharat System
Ganeshpur Village, Uttarakhand

Gharat is a century old traditional system that utilises hydropower energy from a perennial stream with the use of watermills. The running water from the stream is directed to continuously turn the wheel to grind the grains. These mills were traditionally used only for slow grinding of grains to preserve nutritive value. There are approximately 16,000 gharats spread all over the villages in Uttarakhand; most of them are non-functioning. The use of gharats has reduced in the last few decades mainly due to decrease in agricultural activities, migration of people from villages, availability of diesel mills and less flow of water in the streams.

The traditional gharat is being revived with improved functional efficiency. Technological upgradation of a gharat involves changing the materials and sizes of certain parts (e.g. wooden turbine is replaced with fabricated steel) to increase the eciency 2-3 times. It can be used for multiple activities like de-husking, grinding spices, oil extraction and electricity generation by connecting the turbine to an alternator.

Improved technology is aimed at improving the living condition of farmers by reducing manual labour and saving time and livelihood diversification for farmers. Further benefits include conservation of traditional structures, preservation of indigenous skills and community empowerment.

Way Forward

Ground level innovations crucial for local communities to adapt to climate change often go unnoticed. There is a need to acknowledge field-based research and on ground success stories, to create more impact. Along with the indigenous knowledge accumulated over generations, accessibility of modern technology is critical for developing sustainable solutions for mountain communities. Science and technology-based organisations and local institutions need to come together for dissemination of knowledge and training.

Along with environmental and economic factors, social sustainability is crucial for holistic development in the mountains. Out-migration linked to diminishing agriculture from mountains to urban areas has serious social implications. In order to preserve unique cultures, traditional knowledge and quality of life both in urban and rural areas, the growing issue of migration needs to be addressed.

Diversification of employment opportunities, empowerment of rural communities and natural resource conservation as core constituents, are key to sustainable development and to mitigate out-migration in the mountain regions.