The role of the Himalayan mountain systems in food security and agricultural sustainability in South Asia.

TLDR: In this paper, the role of the Himalayan mountain systems in food production and agricultural sustainability in South Asian countries looking at the emerging challenges posed by the increasing water stress and climate change.

Abstract: Although South Asian countries made impressive progress in food production during 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, the dynamism in the agricultural sector has, however, lost recently. Productivity of major food grains has slowed down and even declined, for some crops and food production is failing to keep pace with population growth. Therefore, food security has remained a major concern in South Asian countries. The linkage between food production and the Himalayan mountains is poorly understood though the Himalayan mountains are the major source of dry season water in Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan for irrigated rice and wheat, which are the staple food in South Asia. In view of that this article briefly examines the role of the Himalayan mountain systems in food production and agricultural sustainability in South Asian countries looking at the emerging challenges posed by the increasing water stress and climate change. The analysis suggests that a common challenge is being faced by all South Asian countr...