Until a decade ago, Nepal's mountaineering and trekking sector used to be overwhelmed by the western world, Japan and Australia, to name a few.

But things have changed today as people from other parts of the world, especially those from the Middle East, are also venturing out to climb Nepal's high mountains and go on weeks-long treks on the popular Annapurna Circuit and in the Khumbu region, the gateway to Mt Everest, or Sagarmatha. It is the dream of all mountaineers to set foot on the summit of the world's tallest peak at 8,848.86 metres. More than 8,500 people have already conquered the tallest peak so far since the first attempt was made on the mountain in 1922 by a British expedition, although it failed to summit the mountain. Mountaineering expeditions fetch millions of dollars for the Government of Nepal in terms of royalty and is also a major source of income for those engaged in trekking and mountaineering in the Everest region and other parts of the country. However, the major source of earning foreign currency had dried up as a result of the pandemic, which has impacted the national economy. No expeditions were permitted in 2020 due to the outbreak of COVID-19 that has left millions of people dead all over the world.

Despite the unprecedented adverse impact on the tourism sector caused by the coronavirus, Nepal has received around 300 applications for the spring mountaineering season.

Should all the applicants arrive to go on expeditions, Nepal's tourism sector can heave a sigh of relief. Things are improving for the better as cases of COVID-19 infection are gradually declining, and the government has also rolled out vaccines to the vulnerable section of the population. Nepal has been placed 70th globally and 4th among the SARRC countries in terms of vaccination efficiency.

Against this backdrop, a 16-member Bahrain Royal team along with three British nationals, led by Royal Family member Shaikh Mohamed H Mohamed Al Khalifa, arrived on Monday to carry out an expedition to the world's tallest peak. The team will spend 80 days in Nepal. The team will stay in seven-day quarantine and head for Chumnurbi Rural Municipality, Gorkha, where the team will distribute 2,000 does of anti-COVID-19 vaccines to the locals there.

The team is scheduled to head toward Everest Base Camp for the expedition, in which around 100 people, including Sherpa guides and high altitude porters, will be involved. This is the same team which had climbed Mt Lobuche and Mt Manaslu in October last year. The main challenges for the expedition organiser – Seven Summits Trek – are to provide best quality services and security to the expedition members as it involves the Bahrain Royal family. Once the team, involving the Bahrain Royal family, is successful in climbing Everest, it will help promote Nepal's mountaineering and trekking in the oil-rich Middle East, which has recently started venturing out to climb mountains in Nepal and elsewhere. This expedition holds special significance as it comes at a time when the country is facing a once-in-a-decade recession in the tourism sector that used to earn millions of dollars and provide jobs for thousands of people.

Pension for farmers

Bajura Municipality in far west Nepal must be commended for introducing a novel scheme to keep people on the farm. A pension programme has been initiated in the municipality, and ID cards have been distributed to 37 farmers. The programme is the first of its kind in the country, and eligible farmers get a monthly pension of Rs 1,000, which is deposited in their respective bank accounts. To be eligible for the pension, a famer must plant crops on three ropanis of land, rear 40 sheep or goats, and raise 1,000 broilers or layers and 200 local chickens.

With the youths in increasing numbers opting for foreign employment, farm lands are left untilled for want of enough hands even as food imports keep growing year after year. Unless there are incentives to make agriculture and animal husbandry attractive to the young generation, Nepal is going to have a hard time raising farm productivity and growing enough food for the country. Thus, Bajura Municipality's model initiative is praiseworthy in that it has not looked up to the central government or donors to introduce a scheme of its own. It's a start that the municipality believes will make farming respectable and the farmers professional. A version of this article appears in the print on March 17, 2021, of The Himalayan Times.