Back to news

Yak are our identity: Himalayan herders raise concerns at International Yak Conference

Tashi Dorji, Muhammad Ismail & Ruijun Long

3 mins Read

70% Complete
Yak herders from across Asia gathered with scientists, businesses, and policy makers to discuss challenges and develop partnerships for revitalizing yak farming (Photo: Tashi Dorji)

For the first time in the history of the annual International Yak Conference, yak herders from the southern side of the Himalaya were able to join their counterparts from other parts of Asia to raise their concerns during a yak herder dialogue organized by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD). The dialogue was organized as a part of the Sixth International Yak Conference held from 27 to 30 August 2018 in Xining, China. At the conference, yak herders from China, India, Mongolia, Nepal, and Russia met with scientists, businesses, and policy makers to discuss challenges faced by herders and to develop partnerships for revitalizing yak farming.

Many yak herders in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) treat yak as a part of their family. Yak are a source of food and nutrition, energy, transport, clothing, income, and employment, and yak ownership is also linked to a family’s social status. “Yak are a part of our tradition and culture. They are our identity,” said Janga Bahadur Rai, Vice-chair of the Falelung Chauri Palak Krishak Samuha (Falelung Yak Herders Group) in Panchthar, Nepal, speaking at the conference.

For many yak herders, the international yak conference was an opportunity to learn about new ways of processing and packaging yak meat to meet growing market demand (Photo:Tashi Dorji)

Given the challenges facing yak herding, there is much to be gained from knowledge sharing across borders. During the conference, Chinese companies displayed diversified yak products made from yak milk, meat, wool, and bones, demonstrating that every part can be made into products for high-end markets. Sharing such knowledge and technology from plateaus to other yak-rearing countries will contribute to sustainable yak farming in the region. Tshewang Lama, herder representative and member of the Nepal parliament, echoed this view: “We need to strengthen cooperation so that we can learn from each other.”

Many of the Himalayan yak herders in attendance were interested in learning about the development of a new yak breed by crossing wild yak with domestic yak in a farm in Qinghai, China. Palzang Lachenpa, who was representing yak herders from the Indian state of Sikkim, emphasized the need for regional cooperation among yak-rearing countries to facilitate the exchange of knowledge on yak and to improve access to better germplasm.

Zhao, a yak herder from Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in China, shared that yak are special animals reared in clean environments. Their meat and milk products are rich in nutrients and medicinal value. Yak wool can be transformed into a desirable natural fabric that, if industrialized, could contribute significantly to the livelihoods of yak herders. Therefore, there is a need for comprehensive development of yak production systems through a multi-disciplinary approach, integrating science policy and practices to promote the ecosystems-based niche yak industry.

The scattered nature of yak production requires mobilization of local institutions along with well-developed governance. Enkhbold Gelegdorj, Head of the Khuvsgul Aimag Federation in Mongolia, highlighted the importance of local institutions – like local pasture user groups and the Mongolian National Federation of Pasture User Groups – that have empowered herders to make informed decisions, protect their rights, improve rangeland productivity, and support value-chain development. He added that upscaling local efforts and regional yak festivals to international platforms would also help ensure that concerns about yak reach the global development agenda.

Herders at the conference also highlighted some challenges to the yak herding tradition and livelihoods of yak herders. In most HKH countries, restrictions on the movement of yak herds across borders has brought an end to centuries-old transborder grazing practices and germplasm exchange. These abrupt changes have directly affected the number and productivity of livestock as winter grazing resources become scarcer.

A lack of knowledge on highland issues among policy makers has led to the formulation of policies that are unfavourable to the traditional transhumance system. The conservationist agenda – promotion of national parks and community forestry – has, to an extent, alienated the concerns of highland communities dependent on natural resources. Herders at the meeting underscored the need to include pastoralists in policy formulation so that policies would be more appropriate.

The dialogue concluded with a recommendation of establishing local and regional yak herders’ networks. This has already been demonstrated in the Kangchenjunga Landscape Conservation and Development (KLCDI) Initiative. Ultimately, these networks can come together through a regional-level yak network and link with herders in other regions through an international yak federation. Such a network would be required for recognizing the vital importance of yak globally and reiterating our pledge to work collectively for sustainable yak farming development.

Stay current

Stay up to date on what’s happening around the HKH with our most recent publications and find out how you can help by subscribing to our mailing list.

Sign Up

RELATED CONTENTS

Continue exploring this topic

23 Mar 2017 Himalica
Himalica Books on Cardamom Launched at Sixth Nepal International Trade Fair

David Molden, Director General of ICIMOD, and Harish Chilwal, Project Coordinator of the Environment Conservation ...

12 Feb 2015 News
Symposium on mountain forestry makes policy recommendations

In his inaugural address, Dr David Molden, Director General of ICIMOD, stressed the need for paradigm shift in managing Himalayan forests. ...

31 Oct 2016 News
Exchanging Knowledge on Glaciers and Climate at the Indus Forum

The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) participated in the Indus Forum Workshop, a week-long event held in Switzerland ...

26 Nov 2018 REEECH
Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Capability for the Hindu Kush Himalaya (REEECH) Initiative launched to address energy poverty in the region

The HKH region is energy poor in spite of its vast potential for hydropower and other sources of energy such ...

19 Jan 2018 Water
Pakistan Government Credits CBFEWS for Zero Loss of Human and Animal Lives in Sherqilla Floods

On 3 August 2017, in the pre-dawn hours of 4:30 am, the community-based flood early warning systems (CBFEWS) at ...

5 Jun 2023 Press releases
山区居民、登山者和科学家在珠峰敲响警钟,倡议世界各国领袖们立即迈向脱碳之路

距人类首登世界之巅已70年,而气候紧急情况发生在此:在兴都库什-喜马拉雅区域内,三分之二的冰川预计将在本世纪末消失。 领先的山地机构国际山地综合发展中心(ICIMOD)、尼泊尔登山协会(NMA)和山区伙伴关系(Mountain Partnership) 呼吁全世界来拯救地球上的冰雪,以避免为时过晚。 #“拯救我们的雪”宣言在最初48小时内就收集到1000多个签名,其中包括新西兰前总理、各国外交官、传奇登山者和著名地球科学家。 尼泊尔加德满都讯(2023 年 5 月 29 日)——七十年前的今天,在埃德蒙·希拉里爵士和丹增·诺尔盖首次登上珠峰 ; 70 年后的今天,地球上最高的山峰正在经历由全球变暖引起的前所未有且基本不可逆的变化。 全球变暖正在危及珠峰与兴都库什-喜马拉雅地区的环境,该地区横跨八个国家,约长3500公里。根据目前的排放情况,科学家预计在未来70年内,该地区三分之二的冰川或将消融。 国际山地综合发展中心(ICIMOD)在包括 尼泊尔登山协会 和 山区伙伴关系(联合国自愿伙伴联盟)在内的全球山地机构的支持下,呼吁公众支持 #拯救我们的雪(#SaveOurSnow)运动。该运动要求公众: 在社交平台分享来自世界各地山区的故事和照片,使用#SaveOurSnow 标签 强调气候影响; 在网址 icimod.org/saveoursnow/declaration/ 签署一份宣言,呼吁各国政府兑现将升温限制在 1.5 ...

10 Sep 2018 HI-RISK
Trails of Disaster: Experiences from a Trip to Barhabise

At the end of June 2018, I participated in a field visit 40–70 km east of Kathmandu, to the tributaries ...