The Struggles of a Herder from Rasuwa, Nepal

The document details the struggles of Pasang Norchel Tamang, a herder in Rasuwa, Nepal, whose livelihood has been severely impacted since 2015 by decreasing precipitation and rising temperatures. These climate shifts have led to the depletion of water sources, reduced pasture productivity, and livestock health issues, including miscarriages and lower fertility rates. To maintain income, the herder has increased his livestock numbers, leading to higher debt and forcing his children to drop out of school. Additionally, hydropower projects have fragmented pastures and blocked access routes, further compounding the vulnerability of the ethnically marginalized Tamang community.

• Since 2015, decreasing rainfall and rising temperatures in the Ammachodingmo Rural Municipality have depleted water sources and reduced the quality and quantity of pasture grasses, leading to a decline in cattle productivity and household income.
• Climate-induced heat stress and water scarcity have caused severe livestock health issues, including a 50% reduction in the fertility rate of yaks and Chauris and unprecedented occurrences of miscarriages.
• The economic strain of climate change has forced the herder to double his livestock numbers to maintain income, resulting in increased loan interest payments and the withdrawal of his sons from school to provide necessary labor.
• Hydropower development and erratic monsoon rainfall have exacerbated vulnerability by causing landslides and fragmenting pastures, specifically blocking access to the productive Syanjen pasture due to a lack of bridges over dams.

APA

Basnet, U. (2023). The Struggles of a Herder from Rasuwa, Nepal. Global Resilience Partnership. https://www.globalresiliencepartnership.org/the-struggles-of-a-herder-from-rasuwa-nepal/

Chicago

Basnet, Umesh. The Struggles of a Herder from Rasuwa, Nepal. Global Resilience Partnership, 2023. https://www.globalresiliencepartnership.org/the-struggles-of-a-herder-from-rasuwa-nepal/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Basnet |first1=Umesh |title=The Struggles of a Herder from Rasuwa, Nepal |publisher=Global Resilience Partnership |date=27 June 2023 |url=https://www.globalresiliencepartnership.org/the-struggles-of-a-herder-from-rasuwa-nepal/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{basnet2023struggles, author = {Basnet, Umesh}, title = {{The Struggles of a Herder from Rasuwa, Nepal}}, institution = {Global Resilience Partnership}, year = {2023}, month = jun, url = {https://www.globalresiliencepartnership.org/the-struggles-of-a-herder-from-rasuwa-nepal/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }