Small farmers in a mountainous country directly or indirectly depend on forest biodiversity for their livelihood. Forest provides fuel wood (energy), leaf liter ( to enrich soil) and non-wood forest products ( direct food). The non-wood forest products include medicinal plants, mushroom, and other wild vegetables that contribute significantly to the small farmers’ food and nutrition security. This is particularly true for those farmers living in remote areas or those farmers with small land holdings. These non-wood forest products are either consumed or sold in the local market to earn additional cash income. For example during summer months, many small farmers do make a good money from the sale of mushrooms and medicinal plants, cordyceps in particular. The risk of over harvest and its impact (negative) on the local environment is also likely to increase with time.
Many agriculture and horticulture crops require assured irrigation to produce good yield consistently. The assured irrigation is only possible if the source of water is conserved and protected. In a mountainous country, water for irrigation and drinking/sanitation mostly arises from the local watershed. The good management of watershed is critical and it is possible with community participation although the current fashion is to focus more on glacial retreat. It appears ( from field observations) that the volume of water originating from glacial melt is minimal compared to volume of water coming from local watersheds. Indeed healthy watershed provides good quantity and quality water for drinking and irrigation. There is hardly any water treatment (chemical) for rural drinking/sanitation supplies in a mountainous country. This is because of healthy ecosystems and cultural/religious beliefs (many water sources are regarded as a holy sites). Availability of clean water for irrigation and drinking/sanitation has a direct bearing on food and nutrition security of a household.
Chencho Norbu