Dev Das Shrestha

Charikot, January 29

Residents of Lapchi and Lumnang, situated in the rural Lamabagar VDC in Darchula, migrate seven times each year in search of forage areas for their yaks. The Lamabagar VDC is located on the border of Nepal and autonomous Tibet.

Though these locals have homes in both Lapchi and Lumnang, they wander far and wide to graze their yaks and have become more or less like nomads.

Dawa Pasang Sherpa, a local yak farmer, said that he stays in Nepal for eight months, while he has to graze his yaks in Tibetan lowlands for four months where he has to shift along with his family.

According to Sherpa, vegetation is scarce in both Lumnang and Lapchi where yak farming is the chief occupation of most residents. Lumnang, which lies 72km from headquarter Charikot, is their permanent homeland while 18 families out of 40 in Lumnang, stay in Lapchi, 24-km uphill from Lumnang.

Guru Sherpa said that all the 28 families in Lapchi are into yak farming. Since fodder that grows in Nepal is not enough to feed yaks all year round, they go to Tibet for four months, which is a problem. Each family has reared around 12 to 30 yaks. Due to lack of grazing land for yaks in Nepal, approximately Rs 0.1 million goes to Tibet indirectly every year.

According to yak farmers, they have to give ghee worth Rs 200 per yak to graze them for four months. Since Tibetans do not accept Nepali currency, they hand over ghee worth Rs 80,000 each year, Dawa Pasang Sherpa said. He added, "The Tibetans come with policemen to take their dues in Lapchi and Lumnang itself."

Though Lumnang and Lapchi are distributed over a very large area and have diverse geographical conditions, there is very little arable land and grazing area. Moreover, the Grazing Development Project also stopped providing grass seeds since Bs 2040, adding to their already problematic condition.

Farmers said that they have many problems regarding grazing of their yaks but do not have any complaints against the government. They added that they are ready to bear the problems than to leave their traditional occupation and place. Meanwhile, locals of both the areas face shortage of food due to lack of fertile lands. Their main crops are potato and radish.

Residents said that when the Bhhote Koshi River swells up during monsoons, the road becomes unusable. But during winters, it becomes easy to import food from Tibet. They said that they import food from Tasikang in Tibet for the whole year.

"It takes one week to bring food from Tasikang and we have to manage with this food for the whole year," locals said. They added that they sell hard cheese, ghee and yak calves in Tibetan market. "We earn around Rs 0.1 million per year, but all of it gets spent in food," said Dawa Pasang Sherpa.

Now, snow has carpeted the Tibetan lowlands and Lapchi, forcing them to live in Lumnang, which is the lowest habitation in the area. After the snow slowly melts down, they take the yaks to graze on Thangchenu, Taphpalemu, Thising, Changchakkang, Thesing, Phembuk and Lapchi. "We have to go to Tibetan lowlands — Ramding, Phisang, Kangchen, Chupsang, Taktak, Singsang, Lungsan, Chyamgang and Langkur — from Ashadh to Ashwin every year," Guru Sherpa added.