Ramechhap, December 10

Yak farming is under threat due to lack of sufficient grazing land in Ramechhap district.

The scarcity of grazing land has resulted from shrinking forest cover in the high hilly areas. Farmers said yaks could not graze in the grazing lands after forests were converted into community forests and handed over to the community. They said farmers were compelled to graze yaks in smaller areas due to the same reason. The consumers' committee has fixed only certain areas for grazing yaks after community forests were established.

For Sherpas in Sailung area, yak farming is an ancestral profession carried on through the generations. “The profession is now in peril as forests have now turned into community forests,” said Pemba Sherpa. He said yak farming was now on the verge of disappearing as grazing lands had shrunk and yak sheds had also disappeared in Sailung area due to lack of grazing land. It has also been affected due to climate change.