The Hindu Kush-Himalayan (HKH) mountain range is suffering in recent decades from increasing population pressure, especially in the “Middle Mountains”, where the catchments are degrading rapidly due to unsustainable land management practices. In response to this concern the “People and Resource Dynamics Project – PARDYP” (1996-2006) was launched, with a focus on natural resource degradation in the “Middle Mountains” of the Himalayas. PARDYP was a research for development project and the main objectives were (1) to find options and approaches to support sustainable and equitable access to water, land, and forests; (2) to improve productivity of farming systems; (3) to increase productivity of agricultural land; and (4) to test and disseminate improved water management options. The project operated in five middle mountain watersheds across the HKH - two in Nepal, and one each in China, India and Pakistan. The key approach was social empowerment through awareness raising, involvement of local institutions and users, encouraging women involvement, user committee formulation and technical backstopping. In this article we will list the most popular options addressing soil fertility and water scarcity which can lead to significant improvements in farmer’s livelihoods. A key learning of the project was that the opinions of land users govern whether new technologies and approaches are accepted. However, a big challenge at the end of every project is to promote knowledge sharing and to encourage cross-fertilization of ideas, with other middle mountain inhabitants and practitioners in the region.
