Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
FIGURE 11.3
The Karakoram Highway near Gilgit, northwest Pakistan. (Photo by S. F. Cunha.)
The introduction of enhanced seed stock and chemical and/or organic fertilizers is
a second input that increases agricultural yield and speeds modernization. This fre-
quently involves external government or private funding and technical expertise. For
example, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation supports agrarian reform
by providing seed stock and technical advice in the Himalaya, as does the private Aga
Khan Rural Support Programme in eastern Tajikistan and northern Pakistan. This well-
intentioned assistance must be administered carefully. Introducing genetically modified
(GMO) plants and animals to mountain regions is controversial because it alters the ex-
isting biodiversity of these longstanding agroecological systems. Though humans have
modified plant cultigens and domestic stock for centuries, the recent advances in bio-
technology and genetic engineering offer the prospect of more comprehensive and ac-
celerated change. Although some introduced varieties increase food yields, they may
not satisfy all the multiple uses that traditional crops provide. These include fodder for
stock, raw material for weaving, and by-products used in indigenous medicines. Such
local varieties emerge over time and thrive within the subtle variations of microclimate,
soils, and storage requirements of each particular mountain environment. They also re-
spond well to indigenous fertilizers (usually animal dung), irrigation, and harvesting
strategies. Thus, introducing new varieties of seed and animal stock must be done care-
fully and involve local people, because increasing raw yields represents but one aspect
of traditional overall productivity.
A third influence promoting modernization among traditional mountain cultures is
additional income from migrant labor. This indirectly supports more people without in-
creasing agricultural production on land that may already have reached or exceeded
its capacity, given the existing environmental and cultural parameters. As discussed
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