Family Farming Knowledge Platform

Women drive alternative economies in the Himalayas

In the Himalayas, male outmigration and the effects of climate change create challenges for rural women. Many of them develop innovative farming practices based on agroecology, push alternative economies and create niche markets. Women in India, Nepal and China show how agroecology can be a strategy to adapt to changing circumstances, and to drive positive social change.

 

Young men from even the remotest places in the Himalayan mountains are leaving their homes in search of income opportunities elsewhere. This trend of out-migration has been driven by increased mobility and access to information, in combination with the effects of climate change, including both increased flooding and drought. Drought and erratic rain hamper rain-fed farming in the region. Floods destroy cultivated fields by sand-casting, sweeping away seed and food stocks and killing livestock. Families do not see agricultural investments as viable anymore and for farmers who mostly have agricultural skills the best option seems to migrate. When men leave, they abandon the farms and lose interest in agriculture while their families stay behind. Women are therefore faced with challenges to produce food without the labour of their husbands. This case illustrates the innovative capacity of women, not only to adapt to changing circumstances, but also to drive positive social change through agroecology.

Traditionally both women and men shaped the way farming was done in the Himalayas. The male household heads would choose the cash crops, the livestock  and also decide on innovations. Women would make decisions about farming for household consumption such as the home gardens and small livestock. Women are not allowed to plough but do other work such as planting, weeding or firewood and fodder collection.

 

Title of publication: Farming Matters: Women drive alternative economies in the Himalayas
Volume: 31
Issue: 4
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Page range: 38-40
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Author: Sarah Marie Nischalke
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Organization: ILEIA, Center for Learning on Sustainable Agriculture
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Year: 2015
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Country/ies: China, India, Nepal
Geographical coverage: Least developed countries (LDCs), South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC)
Type: Magazine article
Content language: English
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