Women organisations and ecotourism : Markha Valley

Ecotourism : Markha Valley

Context

Markha Valley is lying in South of Indus Valley, between Stok range and Zanskar. This beautiful area is included in Hemis National Park, and its trans-himalayan ecosystem has a unique biodiversity of wild flora, avi-fauna and mammals. It is particularly well-known to be home to snow leopard, protected specie.

Bluesheep above Rumbak Trekker in Markha Valley Pashmina goats with their herder in Nyimaling

Bluesheep above Rumbak
Trekker in Markha Valley
Pashmina goats with their herder in Nyimaling

Markha Valley is also one if the most famous trekking in Ladakh. During summer, many trekkers go through the villages of the area. They are attracted by natural beauty of the valley, but also by its rich cultural heritage and way of life of the inhabitants.

Although all families of Markha Valley still depend on agriculture and livestock for their subsistence –the valley is one of the most remote of Ladakh- tourism is an increasing part of households’ income.

The project: valorise local resources on tourist market, a way of improving livelihood

In order to preserve rich local resources and to extend tourism benefit to a maximum of villagers, different initiatives are supported by the project.

Homestays
Both Youth Association for Conservation and Development in Hemis High Altitude National Park (YAFCADHNP) and Snow Leopard Conservancy (SLC) have trained villagers to receive trekkers in their houses. During summer, homestays allow trekkers to experience ladakhi way of life and to discover closer the valley beauties. More information besides YAFCADHNP and SLC (see contacts below).

Picture: ladakhi kitchen
Homestay : ladakhi kitchen

Chilling copper work museum
Chilling little village is famous throughout all Ladakh for its traditional metal craft, which is the pride of every ladakhi kitchen. The beautiful items -ladles, spoons, prayer wheel, teapots, etc.- elaborated by Chilling craftsmen result from an ancestral knowledge inherited from Nepal. Actual social and economic rapid changes in Ladakh incite young to forsake this craft for involving in other works. To revalorise this art, the Hemis National Park Youth Association has established a showroom in Chilling where visitor can discover the best recent items and craftsmen work.

Picture: Thagu (traditional tea pot)

Women local products range.
Except from copper work, Markha Valley has many other resources and know-how. Markha Valley villagers have access to different altitudinal stages, spread between 3100 and 4800 m above sea level. Complementary of resources outcomes in a variety of products elaborated by the villagers. From 2005, women groups or SHGs of Rumbak, Chilling, Skiu-Kaya, Markha and Hankar villages have developed a range of local products with the support of the project.

dried apricots
barley field
Preparation of chang (local beer)

Those products are sold by the women in the parachutes cafés -little selling stand where trekkers can stop and have rest- they run along trekking rout during summer. In order to conserve choice provided by complementarities of altitudinal resources, women have widened the traditional exchanges between the villages in implementing a network between the parachutes cafés. In this way, in each parachute café, trekkers can find products from the entire valley.

parachute café Rumbak
parachute café Hankar

The benefits of the project

There are numerous and concern different aspects

Environment and culture: Preservation of natural resources, traditional know-how and culture heritage, by the promotion of local products who are eco-friendly -less transport, less pollution, less packaging-
Local Economy: Income generation activities for villagers, attenuation of economic differentiation made by tourism within the villages, setting of a majority of villagers as real stakeholders of their valley development
Social: Women empowerment, confidence and capacity building of villagers in tourist attendance and commercialisation

Rumbak village in summer
women bread Skiu-Kaya
marketing workshop Skiu-Kaya

Discover local culture and traditional products of Markha Valley!

You can find all those products in the women group parachutes cafés and in homestays…

They are: organic, fresh, healthy, elaborated by women groups and made according to traditional know-how...

Apricot products, fresh from Chilling
- Dried apricot, rich in energy for your trek
- Chulli-pe, refreshing beverage based on dried apricot powder
Seabuckthorn healthy products, rich in vitamins and antioxidants, from Skiu-Kaya
- Tsestalulu tea, to become serene again during rests,
- Tsestalulu juice, to reboot after long walks
Roasted barley natural products, ladakhi tradition sized for trekkers
- Namtuk, comforting soup of roasted barley flour and dried cheese,
- Yosa, barley delicately roasted on fire, a snack to munch,
Chulli phe (grinded dried apricot)
Bottles of seabuckthorn juice
Yosa (roasted barley with apricot nuts)
Local tasty biscuits, the tagi-pulli, cooked on fire with wealthy wheat
Traditional ladakhi dishes, to experience natural and simple savours of ladakhi kitchen. Taste skiu, chu-tagi, paba, colak… prepared with barley and wheat harvested in the women fields in Markha Valley.
Woollen handicraft, warm products from the high lands
Chilling copper craft, fine and precious art, reflect of a long traditional heritage

Pulli (local biscuits)
Woolen gloves
Chapskang (local beer pot)