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Flexibility of Scope, Type and Temporality in Mustang, Nepal. Opportunities for Adaptation in a Farming System Facing Climatic and Market Uncertainty

Author

Listed:
  • Nina Holmelin

    (CICERO Center for International Climate and Environmental Research—Oslo, P.O.Box 1129 Blindern, N-0318 Oslo, Norway)

  • Tor Halfdan Aase

    (CICERO Center for International Climate and Environmental Research—Oslo, P.O.Box 1129 Blindern, N-0318 Oslo, Norway
    Department of Geography, University of Bergen, 5020 Bergen, Norway)

Abstract

Climate change is projected to increase the seasonality in river flows in the great river systems of Himalaya and impose challenges to regional food production. Since climate change increases the uncertainty in local weather patterns, people’s ability to maintain local agricultural production will probably depend on how flexible the local farming systems are to adjust to unpredictable changes. The objective of this paper is to investigate the flexibility of one such farming system which is located in Mustang, Nepal, Himalaya. Defining flexibility as “uncommitted potentialities for change” following Gregory Bateson, the paper identifies opportunities for change in the farming system, as well as factors that constrain flexibility. Further developing the concept of flexibility, it is suggested that flexibility may be analyzed in terms of scope, type and temporal flexibility. Although there are several underexploited resources in the studied farming system, the present situation is not regarded as one of irrational and suboptimal exploitation of resources. Instead, unexploited resources imply opportunities for change, which provide the system with flexibility to rapidly adjust agricultural production to varying and uncertain conditions of production.

Suggested Citation

  • 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.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:5:y:2013:i:4:p:1387-1405:d:24517
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Upendra Bom & John Tiefenbacher & Shashidhar Belbase, 2023. "Individual and community perceptions of climate change in Lower Mustang, Nepal," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 25(7), pages 5997-6031, July.
    2. Pranav Gupta & Alka Bharat, 2022. "Developing sustainable development Index as a tool for appropriate urban land take," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 24(11), pages 13378-13406, November.
    3. Wolfgang Jens-Henrik Meier & Perdita Pohle & Jussi Grießinger, 2022. "Climate Change and New Markets: Multi-Factorial Drivers of Recent Land-Use Change in The Semi-Arid Trans-Himalaya, Nepal," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-26, September.
    4. Suman Aryal & Geoff Cockfield & Tek Maraseni, 2014. "Vulnerability of Himalayan transhumant communities to climate change," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 125(2), pages 193-208, July.
    5. 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.

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