Back to news

Yak Festival 2017

Promoting Yak Based Rural Livelihoods in the Kangchenjunga Landscape

Domesticated yaks play an important role in the lives of mountain people living in high altitude regions in India and Nepal. These animals have historically been used to transport goods across mountain passes, and for their milk, meat and hide. The Kangchenjunga Landscape initiative (KLCDI) has been working to strengthen and promote yak based rural livelihoods in the landscape, and organized a Yak Festival on April 14, 2017 to strengthen and promote rural yak based livelihoods.

1 min Read

70% Complete
Honorable Member of National Planning Commission and the chief guest of the Festival, Dr. Prabhu Budhathoki, addressing the local people in the event.

The festival took place in Phalelung rural municipality in Panchthar district, an area bordering Sikkim and the Indian territory of the Kangchenjunga Landscape (KL) at an altitude of 3,515 metres above sea level. The event was organized to preserve the culture of yak herding in the region by supporting the livelihoods of yak-dependent rural populations and linking them with high altitude ecotourism. Surketham Dairy Cooperative, the local District Forest Office and other district stakeholders organized the event with support from KLCDI, a transboundary initiative at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD).

National Planning Commission (NPC) member, Honorable Dr. Prabhu Budhathoki was chief guest of the event and inaugurated the festival. Among those attending were and the Chief District Officer of Panchthar and other district line agency officials. Dr. Budhathoki said that the NPC supports the idea of continuing such events in the future and will support yak-related activities through government channels. He also assured all present that the NPC will liaise with other partners to support such activities.


Yak in the Festival

Close to 2,000 people from the KL India (Sikkim, West Bengal, Darjeeling and Siliguri) and KL Nepal (Jhapa, Ilam, Panchthar, Terhathum and Kathmandu) attended the event. About 500 yak from about 22 herds were exhibited, as were dairy products made from yak’s milk. In its second year of implementation, KLCDI is looking forward to promoting yak based rural livelihoods through transboundary ecotourism to ensure that landscape conservation also fosters regional cooperation.

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 content

Continue exploring this topic

17 Jul 2017 SANDEE
SANDEE Joins ICIMOD

SANDEE brings together researchers and practitioners from South Asian countries to address the region’s environmental development challenges. For 16 years, ...

16 Aug 2017 News
Private Sector Engagement for Climate Action in Pakistan

A joint event titled “Working Together for Sustainable Mountain Development: Private Sector Engagement for Climate Action in Pakistan” was organized ...

24 Oct 2016 News
Monsoon Discharge Measurements of Langtang Khola and Lirung Outlet

To catch the highest discharge of Langtang Khola and Lirung outlet, a team of glacio-hydrologists from the International Centre for ...

10 Jul 2018 CBFEWS
Local Communities Take Ownership of Flood Early Warning System

ICIMOD, partners, and local governments have come together to save lives from flash flooding by installing eleven such community-based flood ...

8 Aug 2018 Cryosphere
Three students graduate from KU’s glaciology programme

In December 2018, three new students – Aman Thapa, Anushilan Acharya, and Reeju Shrestha – graduated from this MS programme ...

30 Jul 2018 HUC
HUC Academy 2018: Building Mountain Research Capacity

The Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region, a global asset for food, energy and water resources, is ...

9 Dec 2016 News
Communities Develop Demonstrable Agroforestry Systems with Poulownia Plantation in Sushare Gaun, Gorkha, Nepal

Agroforestry is practiced in both tropical and temperate regions where it produces food, fiber and biomass energy, contributes to food ...

17 Nov 2016 News
ICIMOD Party to Beijing Declaration on the Belt and Road Initiative

The First International Science Forum of National Scientific Organizations on the Belt and Road Initiative was held in Beijing, China ...