Nepal, Bhutan and India join hands to address common challenges in mountainous regions
लगानी न्यूज
Kathmandu. Yak and yak farmers from Nepal, Bhutan and India are officially launching the network of Himalayan yak farmers at the ‘9th Royal Highland Festival’ in Bhutan on September 20.
This network is the first regional forum focused exclusively on yak farming communities in the Himalayas. According to the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), its establishment is the result of nearly a decade of cooperation between farmers, the government and development partners. The network is being established at a time when Himalayan communities are facing increasing challenges due to climate change, degradation of grazing land and migration. The King and Prime Minister of Bhutan will be present at the festival.TAG_OPEN_div_54
This network is a regional forum established with the objective of promoting collective advocacy, knowledge sharing, capacity building and cooperation among the yak farming community. Inspired by the World Reindeer Association established by the farmers and run by them, this network will be led by yak farmers from the Himalayan region. Its secretariat will be in Bhutan.
Yak and Yak Farmers Federation of Nepal, Bhutan Yak Federation and Yak Federation of India along with government representatives, researchers, development partners and other stakeholders from Nepal, Bhutan and India will participate in the festival. The festival will be held in Bhutan on September 6 and 7.TAG_OPEN_div_50
Yak farming contributes significantly to the livelihood, culture and local economy of the communities living in the Himalayan region. However, the three Yakpalak communities are facing various challenges. According to Tashi Dorji, Senior Animal Husbandry and Grazing Sector Specialist at ICIMOD, the Yakaplak community is facing challenges such as declining number of yak yaks, shrinking and degrading grazing areas, effects of climate change, loss of genetic diversity of yaks, loss of livestock from wildlife, limited access to markets and services, and migration of youth from high hills and mountains.TAG_OPEN_div_48
These challenges extend beyond national boundaries and regional cooperation is needed to address them. The Himalaya Yak Farmers Network will provide an important platform for collective advocacy, knowledge sharing, capacity building, and cross-border cooperation. Dorji said that by bringing together the national federations of the three countries, the network aims to expand sustainable livelihood opportunities, conserve healthy grazing areas and strengthen the conservation of yak genetic resources.
TAG_OPEN_div_44 The Regional Yak Farmers Network was conceived in 2016. At that time, ICIMOD’s Kanchenjunga Landscape Conservation and Development Initiative brought together yak farmers, researchers and government representatives from all three countries. In 2018, representatives from the region participated in the Arctic Frontiers Conference in Norway and interacted with the World Reindeer Farmers Association.
Inspired by the cross-border model of the association, the concept of establishing a similar regional forum in the Hindu Kush Himalaya region was developed. The three countries then agreed to form a strong national federation before establishing a regional network. Accordingly, national federations were formally formed in Bhutan in 2022, in Nepal in 2023 and in India in 2025.
At the 10th Conference on Sustainable Animal Agriculture for Developing Countries held in Vietnam in 2025, the federation’s leaders and government representatives formally committed to establishing the Himalaya Yak Farmers Network. The launch at the Royal Highland Festival in Bhutan is an important milestone in the nearly decade-long collaboration between the Himalayan yak farming community and their partners.
Grazing area and rearing status in three countries
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More than 60 percent of the land area in the Hindu Kush Himalaya region is covered by grazing areas. Grazing area is the main source for the 25 million to 30 million indigenous and local communities who are directly dependent on their livelihood.TAG_OPEN_div_36
According to the National Agricultural Census (2021÷22), 9,899 farmers in Nepal have reared an estimated 53,195 yak÷nose÷yaks. In Karnali Province of Nepal alone, grazing area accounts for 34 percent of the total area of the country. There are 92 species of medicinal plants, out of which 82 species are currently actively traded in the market. The business of these plants earns about 36 million Nepali rupees annually.TAG_OPEN_div_34
According to the 20th Livestock Census of India (2019), there were about 58,TAG_OPEN_div_32 000 yaks in the country. According to the Yak Federation of India, in 2026, the federation’s 526 member households had about 32,000 yaks.
According to the 2024 data of the National Bureau of Statistics (NSB) of Bhutan, a total of 29,432 yaks were reared by 746 households in the country. Yak rearing accounts for four percent of the country’s total livestock production.TAG_OPEN_div_30
According to ICIMOD, the number of yaks in Bhutan, India and Nepal has declined significantly over the past few decades due to changing land use patterns, degradation of grazing land, climatic pressures and socio-economic changes.TAG_OPEN_div_28
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