Published in the Journal of Alpine Research : 107-3 2019 – Small Farmers in Mountainous and Forested Hinterlands, edited by Mohamed Raouf Saïdi and Laurent Auclair
Growth of market gardening for local sales in the Mount Everest tourist region of Pharak, Nepal
Abstract
Pharak region, traversed by the Everest trekking route, sees thousands of hikers come through each year to discover the Khumbu high-mountain landscapes. Formerly a region devoted to livestock farming, Pharak has experienced significant socio-economic changes since the early 1970s. The predominantly Sherpa population is gradually abandoning agro-pastoral activities in favour of greater participation in the tourism industry. By generating economic benefits, creating demand and capturing part of the labour force, tourism is engendering important transformations in the region’s agriculture. Trade is on the increase and market opportunities are reconfiguring the agrarian landscape. Market gardening, in particular, is gaining momentum and has become a new local business. This article highlights the originality of this mode of farming, which has developed in tandem with the growth of tourism but independently of the growth of cities and the construction of roads.
Keywords : agriculture, market gardening, greenhouse, tourism, Nepal
Full text of online article
This study was carried out within the framework of the project ANR PRESHINE (ANR-13-SENV-0005) Pressures on Water and Soil Resources in the Nepalese Himalayas – (2014-2018).
Plan
Introduction
The study area and the methodology
A historically open agrarian system
Development of market gardening in a context of a tourist boom
Greenhouse market gardening : a way of producing vegetables reserved for an elite
Mountain, market gardening and tourism particularities that combine well
Conclusion
Authors
Abadia Céline
Agricultural engineer, ISTOM graduate (College of International Agro-Development)
Aubriot Olivia
CNRS-CEH (Centre d’études Himalayennes), Campus Condorcet. Bâtiment de recherche sud, 5 cours des Humanités, 93322 Aubervilliers Cedex, France
Smadja Joëlle
CNRS-CEH (Centre d’études Himalayennes), Campus Condorcet. Bâtiment de recherche sud, 5 cours des Humanités, 93322 Aubervilliers Cedex, France
Vaillant Michel
UR ADI-Suds (Agrodéveloppement et innovation aux Suds), 4 rue Lakanal, 49000 Angers, France
Oswald Marc
UR ADI-Suds (Agrodéveloppement et innovation aux Suds), 4 rue Lakanal, 49000 Angers, France