This site uses cookies, as explained in our terms of use. If you consent, please close this message and continue to use this site.
Because of the decline in crop farming due to human-wildlife conflict, commercial dairy farming has emerged as one of the viable livelihood options in Ribdi, in West Sikkim, India, one of the pilot sites of the Kangchenjunga Landscape Conservation and Development Initiative. In the 20-year strategy for the landscape, diversifying livelihood options through improved dairy farming has, through a rigorous participatory process, been prioritised as a key intervention area.
1 min Read
From 16-18 November 2017, around 50 dairy farmers from Ribdi-Gorkhey, India, convened in Ribdi for a three-day hands-on training and exposure visit on “Animal Nutrition and Health Care for Improving Dairy Production.” The training was organized with support from the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) by the G.B. Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment and Sustainable Development (GBPNIHESD), Sikkim Unit, in collaboration with The Mountain Institute (TMI) in India, Gangtok; the Diocesan Integrated society for Holistic Action (DISHA), Kalimpong; and the Department of Animal Husbandry, Livestock and Fisheries, Government of Sikkim. The training aimed to strengthen the participants’ knowledge of dairy farming and expose them to experiences of successful practices at the local level.
Over the three days, participants received training in several facets of dairy farming, including animal nutrition and feeding practices, healthcare and medication, as well as livestock management and dairy entrepreneurship. The training was conducted by experts from DISHA, TMI, and ICIMOD and comprised theoretical sessions as well as practical demonstrations and field observations in selected progressive dairy farms.
During the training, a discussion was also held on the conceptual framework for dairy development in Ribdi. This exercise broadened development perspectives about the dairy interventions in the landscape. Participants and local village leaders commended the training for boosting their confidence in sustainable dairy farming and entrepreneurship.
Share
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.
Related content
Findings from a recent study show that the larger glaciers in the Hindu Kush region of ...
Increasingly, many areas of Kavre suffer problems with water; frequently there is not enough. As a result, many community members ...
Glaciers in the upper reaches of the Indus River basin are an important source of freshwater. However, as climate change ...
Participants included high-level bureaucrats, youth leaders, researchers, and tech innovators from the region. They engaged in capacity building, ...
Broadly, the meeting paved the way forward for creating synergies and future lines of action in the context of REDD+ ...
We visited four government agencies in the district: the District Forest Office (DFO), the District Agriculture Development Office (DADO), the ...
As part of its mission to reduce poverty in the world through development cooperation, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency ...
Thirty irrigation engineers—10 of them women—from DOI participated in the training. Titled Energy Efficient Irrigation Systems using Solar Pumps, the ...