A country situated in some of the roughest terrain the globe has to offer, Nepal has faced many obstacles on its road to development, but its highest peaks to conquer may be man-made challenges. For many Nepalis, especially the younger generation, problems seem to outweigh Nepal’s opportunities for progress. These challenges, combined with the strong pull of globalization, are fueling massive migration of young Nepalis, first from rural villages to urban centers, and then from Nepal outwards to other regions across the world. This exodus is draining Nepal of two of its greatest assets: its youth and its culture.
Nepalis are increasingly abandoning villages for urban lifestyles in Nepal’s capital city of Kathmandu or short-term jobs abroad as domestic help or manual laborers. Remittances from work abroad make up a significant part of Nepal’s GDP, as much as 30%, but the move to work overseas is also resulting in high rates of death and suicides, illness (including alarming increases in rates of HIV/AIDS) and divorce among migrant workers. Others have found themselves trapped in slavery, notably sex trafficking, and unable to return home.
If no alternatives are developed, out-migration will severely hamper Nepal’s ability to realize its potential. Nepal needs viable options for meaningful livelihoods within its own borders and communities, where local and sustainable economic development can prosper alongside a rich diversity of culture and livelihoods.
It is not unusual for Nepali children to go without seeing their mothers or fathers for years, as many parents work abroad and children are often raised in Nepal in English medium boarding schools or by extended family. This results in a loss of identity, as local and indigenous knowledge, languages, and heritage are lost to the Nepali curriculum of rote memorization and western-oriented content.
Despite the great numbers of educated Nepalis leaving to work outside Nepal, according to the 2011 Gallup poll, the majority would prefer to stay. In the same report, 86% of Nepalis reported believing more job creation in Nepal is important, and would be a potential benefit of increased cooperation between Nepal and other South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries.
In recent years, Nepal has benefited greatly from its position between regional rivals, India and China, as what Nepal’s first king Privthi Narayan Shah called, a “Yam between two boulders.” In courting diplomatic favor with Nepal, China and India have contributed greatly to developing Nepal’s infrastructure. Nepal’s economy is closely linked with India’s. If India and China were to increase their trade relationship, Nepal would benefit economically thanks to its strategic position as a natural transit point.
Nepal’s potential for hydropower ranks second in the world after Brazil. Despite this enormous resource, only 40% of the country’s citizens have access to electricity. Those that do, experience frequent scheduled blackouts, for as much as 18 hours per day. Rural areas throughout Nepal have found success powering villages with a variety of renewable energy sources. Renewable energy sources are crucial alternatives to fuel wood, the consumption of which is unsustainable and leaves hilly and mountainous areas susceptible to erosion and landslides. Micro-hydropower, in particular has been identified as an important renewable energy source, especially for communities in remote areas, where there are no roads, and materials must be brought in by porters or pack animals. Researchers in Japan have also determined that Himalayan areas are among the best places in the world for solar power, providing great potential for powering remote settlements. Methane released from manure has also been harvested to power rural communities, but water remains the nation’s greatest resource, and its development and proper management could locate regional markets beyond its own borders.
Rather than having rural populations continue to flock into Nepal’s over-crowded and resource-strained urban centers, scholars have proposed the establishment of small and medium-sized settlements in key geographic locations along Nepal’s hill and mountain areas. With the development of more roads, and a plethora of renewable energy alternatives, these settlements could more sustainably accommodate urbanization. These services could also breathe new life into village economies, particularly in the rural tourism sector.
Nepal’s Himalayan areas are popular destinations for international tourists. Since the end of Nepal’s decade-long Maoist insurgency in 2006, relative stability has led to increasing numbers of tourists, with a significant percentage visiting rural areas. “Building community capacity” was a stated objective of the Nepal Year of Tourism 2011, effectively linking development and tourism. After a 21% increase in tourists visiting Nepal ten months into the Nepal Year of Tourism, revenue could be reinvested back into rural communities, though it is likely that the effort will fall short of its mark, and corruption may further blunt the impact of reinvestment.
Jobs in the tourism industry or with development organizations are attractive alternatives to work abroad, but Nepal’s tourism industry is both saturated and dependent on its political stability. Development organizations, meanwhile, typically hire urbanized candidates from specific levels of the caste hierarchy, who have had the best access to education. This can threaten project sustainability in the most underdeveloped areas of the country. Projects implemented without community participation and ownership can reinforce the entrenched notion that what is local is inferior. This can lead to frustration and ultimately a kind of “learned helplessness,” where community members lose confidence in their own abilities to solve problems and rely on others instead.
Development practice should therefore focus on hiring and training local staff from within the communities where projects are targeted. This will increase both the diversity of jobs available in rural areas and local ownership of projects. It can also more easily identify local entrepreneurs and equip communities with the capacity to develop natural resources in ways that are both sustainable–economically and ecologically–and lucrative. This approach will also give communities the confidence and skills needed to effectively petition the Nepali government and international organizations for support on subsequent projects. Ultimately, communities will be able to regain the self-sufficiency that was disrupted by globalization and out-migration.
Development projects designed to extend public services and infrastructure are necessary, but without a serious effort to provide alternatives to out-migration and paths to economic prosperity through training and local empowerment, they are doomed. Beyond economics, creating meaningful and local livelihoods in Nepal will foster a greater connection to culture, community, and the land. This will provide Nepalis with a better chance to attain prosperity and lay the foundations for a society of greater cultural and economic wealth that subsequent generations can build upon.
Beau Miller received his Master’s in International Relations, focusing in Global Development Policy from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University. Danielle Preiss was a Fulbright Scholar in Nepal, and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Environmental & Community Land Planning at the State University of New York’s College of Environmental Science & Forestry. Both work with Helambu Project, a volunteer-led organization based in the US and UK, which performs community-level education and health care projects in Himalayan villages. For more information, visit HelambuProject.org.
