Application of New Techniques in Fodder Farming for Enhancing the Pasture Grass for Yaks in the Arunachal Himalayas

Animal husbandry is the major occupation for the people who inhabit the Himalayan region, other cultivation has remained almost neglected and confined to the hills and mountains. The major livelihood has its source from the forest, fuel wood collection, and other natural resources prevalent in the surroundings. The Grassland ecosystem plays an essential role in regulating the carbon cycle and climate over the region. The Grassland ecosystem impacts its surroundings’ environment, socio-economic development, and ecological safety. The extreme climatic aberrations witnessed these days, like excessive increases in temperature and irregular precipitation, result from an imbalanced natural ecosystem. The primary source of income for the local population is from dairy, poultry, sheep farming, etc. Most inhabitants are engaged in daily wage earning, petty business, marginal trading, carpentry, and allied activities for their livelihood. In the upper parts, apart from these activities, the locals are engaged in Yak farming, known as BROKPA in the local parlance. However, these BROKPA, also face uncertainties due to the migration of Yak in search of newer grazing pastures. Yak rearing is turning out to be a difficult proposition due to migration issues, changes in local climatic conditions, and anthropogenic activities.