Improvement of rural people livelihood
in cold desert areas of the Western Himalayas

LIGHT : Learning Income Generation in the Himalayas Together

Context of the project

 

Remote in the Himalayan hills of the Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh states, the valleys of these desert areas are lying at more than 3000 m. During the harsh and long winter, the temperature frequently falls below -20°C. The villages are then isolated for more than six months per year, the access passes being closed because of the snow.

 

 

Traditionally, families rely essentially on agriculture and livestock rearing. But in the last 50 years, this region has been subject to a rapid and deep evolution, due to the massive arrival of army to control the disputed borders, the development of the administration and NGOs, and the aperture of the area to tourism.

However, these new opportunities are mostly accessible in the main cities. The meager incomes available in the villages force many of their inhabitants to migrate towards cities.