SOCIETY AND ENVIRONMENT - THE EXISTING SITUATION

The Kullu Valley has undergone enormous changes during the last few decades. Like most of India it has experienced a huge growth in population, yet it has also experienced a period of rapid and unregulated economic growth, fuelled in the most part by the mass tourism industry in Manali. These rapid changes have placed enormous pressure on the land and caused rapid depletion of natural resources.

The majority of the valley's population are farmers who live in remote villages, often at a high altitude and inaccessible by road. Very few of the benefits of the economic activities of recent decades have reached the villages, the profits instead have mostly found their way into the pockets of hotel owners and businessmen from cities outside the valley.

The villagers however have had to live with the consequences of such development, which include deforestation, increasing pollution levels, a growing waste problem and rising living costs. Combined with the inevitable fate of having to divide their land between the siblings of each successive generation, farmers are now finding it increasingly difficult to meet their daily needs from their fields, and there is a growing need for cash income.

The income of most farmers in the Kullu Valley comes from apples, a growing monoculture that has replaced large areas of forest, paddy fields and indigenous grains, the villagers' traditional source of subsistence. Introduced into the valley only half way through the last century, apples are not entirely suited to the area and are therefore heavily sprayed with harmful pesticides, fungicides and fertilisers.

Those farmers who do not have apple orchards often turn to other natural resources that have a high economic value, such as medicinal herbs and timber. As a result the forests are being degraded at an unsustainable rate and many valuable medicinal plant species are seriously threatened by over-harvesting. The growing need for forest resources such as animal fodder and fuelwood is further degrading the forests, and unrestricted grazing of livestock is preventing natural regeneration of tree seedlings.

Many villagers are becoming increasingly dependent on the illicit cultivation of cannabis (bhang) as a means of generating income, which is a cause of many social problems and corruption. If these problems are not dealt with the situation is likely to deteriorate, causing further depletion of natural and social resources, at a great cost to future generations.

There are a number of government schemes aimed at tackling these problems, however they are often difficult to implement due to the remote locations of these villages, the lack of community participation and insufficient expertise at the grassroots level. The aim of Ananda is to work at the grassroots level in order to involve the local community in various projects that will help them conserve and regenerate their valuable natural resources, to generate alternative and sustainable sources of income and meet their needs from the land in a sustainable manner.

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