Improvement of rural people livelihood
in cold desert areas of the Western Himalayas
Web site realized by GERES
LIGHT : lambing shed
Context
Chang Tang is a high altitude plateaux area contiguous to Tibet. It lies at more that 4000 m high. The inhabitants, Changpas, live mostly from livestock rearing, in a nomadic or semi-nomadic way. They rear sheep, yaks, and changra, local goats producing the precious pashmina. Lifestyle is very hard and simple, and many Changpa migrate to Leh or other areas, seeking an easier life.
On these open and windy plateaux, winters are very harsh, and temperatures go under -30°C. Livestock mortality is high, particularly amongst kits and lambs, as the lambing period happens at the end of the winter, that is still cold. 50% of mortality is recorded for lambs and kits that get born during nighttime.
Solar lambing sheds
The solar lambing shed design has been elaborated and adapted considering the previous experiences and the promoters feed-back.
It consists of a solar shed, built of stones and bricks, and covered by a transparent UV resistant polysheet. The shed is whether attached to a house or separate, according to the breeder traditional lambing place and their type of habitation there (tents or small house). The design has been elaborated with the breeders, putting a stress on cost effectiveness and local availability of material, to make possible the replication of such buildings even without the support of the project.
The shed is used for multipurpose activities.
- During the lambing period, in the nighttime, pregnant females, weak animals and young kits and lambs are kept inside.
- During daytime and the other periods of the year, the shed is a warm place for the family to stay, doing handicraft or other activities, bath, wash clothes…
Objectives
80 families of Changtang breeders will be enabled to build and run a solar lambing shed. This has two aims:
- Decrease kits and lambs mortality by 80%, and that way increase breeders income or capital.
- Bring some comfort in the harsch Changpa way of life thanks to a solar heated room, which can also be used for income generating activities (handicraft)
Moreover, local masons are involved and trained, to make possible the replication of the initiative even after the project end.