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  • Title: Population and environment in the hills of Nepal.
    Author: Thapa GB, Weber KE.
    Journal: Asia Pac Popul J; 1989 Jun; 4(2):49-70. PubMed ID: 12316024.
    Abstract:
    This article examines how the people in the hills of Nepal, in spite of their physical and economic isolation from the national mainstream, could manage their economic activities for such a long time without any heavy environmental stress. The major proportion of Nepal's population lives in the hills. In the early 1900s, the population in the hills was small in absolute numbers. The population grew during the 1900s, despite continuous out-migration. Under present circumstances, the hills of Nepal do not allow any further intensification of cropping because of the zone's high elevation, steep slopes, poor soils, and high level of precipitation. The hills were mostly bypassed in terms of policy and planning until the beginning of the 5th Five Year Plan period (1976-1980), when development plans were drawn up and budget allocations were made on a regional basis. Because of concentration on agriculture in the plains, nonfarm employment opportunities barely exist there. Strategies the hill people have used to cope with the limited carrying capacity of land resources and few alternative employment opportunities include 1) expansion of agricultural lands into marginally suited areas, 2) enlarging the size of their livestock herds, 3) out-migration, and 4) collection of fuel wood. These practices have led to the deterioration of the ecological balance. The hill people are reluctant to adopt family planning because a small family size puts heavier pressure on the household economy and its available labor force. To stabilize the economic and environmental systems and to control accelerated population growth in the hills, a comprehensive development program must be worked out, focusing on alleviating pressure on the fragile resource system. The strategy would include 1) agricultural development, 2) implementation of an integrated agrarian and land reform program, 3) promotion of non-farm employment opportunities, 4) population control, and 5) people's participation in decision-making and planning. Watersheds are the appropriate spatial planning units for regional development planning processes.
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