IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/ssefpa/v10y2018i4d10.1007_s12571-018-0827-y.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

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
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s12571-018-0827-y
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s12571-018-0827-y?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    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.
    2. Abid Hussain & Golam Rasul & Bidhubhusan Mahapatra & Sabarnee Tuladhar, 2016. "Household food security in the face of climate change in the Hindu-Kush Himalayan region," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 8(5), pages 921-937, October.
    3. Neera Shrestha Pradhan & Suman Sijapati & Sagar Ratna Bajracharya, 2015. "Farmers' responses to climate change impact on water availability: insights from the Indrawati Basin in Nepal," International Journal of Water Resources Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 31(2), pages 269-283, June.
    4. 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.
    5. A. F. Lutz & W. W. Immerzeel & A. B. Shrestha & M. F. P. Bierkens, 2014. "Consistent increase in High Asia's runoff due to increasing glacier melt and precipitation," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 4(7), pages 587-592, July.
    6. 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.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. 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.
    2. 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.
    3. 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.
    4. 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.
    5. 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.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. 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.
    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. 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.
    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.
    5. Basanta Paudel & Zhaofeng Wang & Yili Zhang & Mohan Kumar Rai & Pranesh Kumar Paul, 2021. "Climate Change and Its Impacts on Farmer’s Livelihood in Different Physiographic Regions of the Trans-Boundary Koshi River Basin, Central Himalayas," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(13), pages 1-18, July.
    6. Prem Sagar Chapagain & Motilal Ghimire & Shova Shrestha, 2019. "Status of natural springs in the Melamchi region of the Nepal Himalayas in the context of climate change," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 21(1), pages 263-280, February.
    7. Jeetendra Prakash Aryal & Tek B. Sapkota & Ritika Khurana & Arun Khatri-Chhetri & Dil Bahadur Rahut & M. L. Jat, 2020. "Climate change and agriculture in South Asia: adaptation options in smallholder production systems," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 22(6), pages 5045-5075, August.
    8. Basanta Paudel & Yili Zhang & Jianzhong Yan & Raju Rai & Lanhui Li & Xue Wu & Prem Sagar Chapagain & Narendra Raj Khanal, 2020. "Farmers’ understanding of climate change in Nepal Himalayas: important determinants and implications for developing adaptation strategies," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 158(3), pages 485-502, February.
    9. Wu, Hao & Xu, Min & Peng, Zhuoyue & Chen, Xiaoping, 2022. "Quantifying the potential impacts of meltwater on cotton yields in the Tarim River Basin, Central Asia," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 269(C).
    10. Tariq Ahmad & Ghulam-Muhammad Shah & Farid Ahmad & Uma Partap & Sajjad Ahmad, 2017. "Impact of Apiculture on the Household Income of Rural Poor in Mountains of Chitral District in Pakistan," Journal of Social Sciences (COES&RJ-JSS), , vol. 6(3), pages 518-531, July.
    11. Rungruang Janta & Laksanara Khwanchum & Pakorn Ditthakit & Nadhir Al-Ansari & Nguyen Thi Thuy Linh, 2022. "Water Yield Alteration in Thailand’s Pak Phanang Basin Due to Impacts of Climate and Land-Use Changes," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-19, July.
    12. Rajesh Kumar & Shaktiman Singh & Ramesh Kumar & Atar Singh & Anshuman Bhardwaj & Lydia Sam & Surjeet Singh Randhawa & Akhilesh Gupta, 2016. "Development of a Glacio-hydrological Model for Discharge and Mass Balance Reconstruction," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 30(10), pages 3475-3492, August.
    13. Kimberley R. Miner & Paul Andrew Mayewski & Mary Hubbard & Kenny Broad & Heather Clifford & Imogen Napper & Ananta Gajurel & Corey Jaskolski & Wei Li & Mariusz Potocki & John Priscu, 2021. "A Perspective of the Cumulative Risks from Climate Change on Mt. Everest: Findings from the 2019 Expedition," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(4), pages 1-13, February.
    14. Manoranjan Ghosh & Somnath Ghosal, 2021. "Climate change vulnerability of rural households in flood-prone areas of Himalayan foothills, West Bengal, India," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 23(2), pages 2570-2595, February.
    15. 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.
    16. Hongbao Wu & Xuexia Wang & Hongwei Shui & Hasbagan Ganjurjav & Guozheng Hu & Quanhong Lin & Xiaobo Qin & Qingzhu Gao, 2020. "Spatiotemporal Variations of Water Stable Isotope Compositions in Nujiang Headwaters, Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(16), pages 1-15, August.
    17. Prabhat Khanal & Rajan Dhakal & Tanka Khanal & Deepak Pandey & Naba Raj Devkota & Mette Olaf Nielsen, 2022. "Sustainable Livestock Production in Nepal: A Focus on Animal Nutrition Strategies," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-20, May.
    18. Qianhan Wu & Linghong Ke & Jida Wang & Tamlin M. Pavelsky & George H. Allen & Yongwei Sheng & Xuejun Duan & Yunqiang Zhu & Jin Wu & Lei Wang & Kai Liu & Tan Chen & Wensong Zhang & Chenyu Fan & Bin Yon, 2023. "Satellites reveal hotspots of global river extent change," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-13, December.
    19. Vimbayi Grace Petrova Chimonyo & Tendai Polite Chibarabada & Dennis Junior Choruma & Richard Kunz & Sue Walker & Festo Massawe & Albert Thembinkosi Modi & Tafadzwanashe Mabhaudhi, 2022. "Modelling Neglected and Underutilised Crops: A Systematic Review of Progress, Challenges, and Opportunities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(21), pages 1-19, October.
    20. Zhang, Yi & Cheng, Chuntian & Yang, Tiantian & Jin, Xiaoyu & Jia, Zebin & Shen, Jianjian & Wu, Xinyu, 2022. "Assessment of climate change impacts on the hydro-wind-solar energy supply system," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 162(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:ssefpa:v:10:y:2018:i:4:d:10.1007_s12571-018-0827-y. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.