From mountain to market: Gravity ropeway

In the mountainous regions of Nepal physical isolation can mean that communities face an exhausting, time-consuming and often dangerous journey to get their crops to market, particularly during the rainy it fails to justify potential cash earnings. In this issue of the IFRTD Update Series we profile a recent season. Each year at harvest time good produce goes to waste as the labour required to transport programme by Practical Action Nepal to demonstrate gravity ropeway technology as a viable means of goods transportation in hilly and mountainous regions. The lessons highlighted here are based upon the findings of an external evaluation carried out by the IFRTD in March 2006. In December 2001 Practical Action Nepal, with financial support from The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) demonstrated two gravity ropeways in Marpha, Mustang district, using a technology that had been successfully proven in Himachal Pradesh, India. These pilot ropeways facilitated the transport of apples and other produce, reducing waste and enabling access to high value markets.The demonstrations generated attention among local communities and organisations and led to requests for Practical Action Nepal to support further ropeway projects. These requests formed the genesis of the programme highlighted in this Update.