Agricultural adaptation to climate change in the trans-Himalaya

A study of Loba Community of Lo-manthang, Upper Mustang, Nepal

Bibliographic Data

ID3059430
AuthorsMan Bahadur Khattri (0000-0002-4291-7920, Tribhuvan University, corresponding author), Rishikesh Pandey (0000-0002-4271-6723, Pokhara University)
Year2021
Volume5
Issue1
Publication date2021-01-12
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueInternational Journal of Anthropology and Ethnology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2366-1003 • E-ISSN: 2366-1003
PublisherSpringer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1186/s41257-020-00039-w
OpenAlexW3141090504
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited42

This paper presents community interference on agricultural ecology against climate change impacts in Lo-manthang, Upper-Mustang, Nepal. The peoples' response strategies are based on traditional agroecological knowledge. This study applied the human ecological approach (Cause ➔ Effect ➔ Response) to analyze continuity and change in the agricultural practice of the indigenousLobacommunity of the Trans-Himalaya. Data were generated through anthropological fieldwork using quasi-ethnomethodology. Qualitative data on changing climate was further supported by the analysis of meteorological records of last 40 years from the nearest station. The overall impression of the study is that theLobasare hardly adapting to the dynamics of socio-environmental factors as climatic, geo-environmental, and politico-institutional changes. The strategy adopted to respond to the impacts of change on the local livelihoods is particularly associated with altering traditional agricultural practices. Indigenous knowledge-based systems of farm, labor, and resource management, accompanied by changes in food preference (food value) and linking agriculture with spiritual practice, are specific adaptation options, further supported by emerging options such as occupational modernization and migration. However, not all of these strategies produced positive outcomes in the local socio-ecological system of Lo-manthang. Therefore, policymakers should recognize Trans-Himalayan environmental uniqueness and its sensitivity to different drivers while designing policy to address them

Agriculture · Agroecology · Climate change · Ecological modernization · Economics · Environmental resource management · Geography · Indigenous · Livelihood · Psychological resilience · Sustainability · Traditional knowledge · Climate change impacts on agriculture · Environmental and Cultural Studies in Latin America and Beyond · Rangeland Management and Livestock Ecology · Ecology

Tools

Open DOIOpen Access