Tawang

LDF expanded its efforts in the Himalayas to a region known as Tawang at the far eastern end of the Himalayas. The district of Tawang is within the state of Arunachal Pradesh and is at a similar altitude as Ladakh.

Rice is the main crop in Tawang

While Ladakh is known as a high altitude desert, Tawang receives considerably more rainfall and is therefore under more temperate climate conditions.

Harvesting juvenile rice plants for transplanting

Rice fields

Getting to Tawang

Tawang is accessible from the city of Guwahati by a 2 day drive through spectacular scenery…….

BY ROAD

Waterfalls

Crazy Roads

Arunachal: The Orchid State

…….or a 45 min flight by helicopter.

The direct flight into Tawang resulted in several accidents killing all on board. Consequently, the government obtained permission from the country of Bhutan to fly over their airspace at a lower altitude resulting in a much safer ride.

The northern border with Tibet is at the distant snow-covered mountains

Threshing rice

After a few trial runs at the LDF factory it became apparent that the thresher would thresh rice as well as it did barley and wheat in Ladakh. So, several threshers were taken into villages in Tawang. Villagers started using them to thresh other crops like millet as well.

Currently a rice de-huller is being designed that can be used on the body of the thresher.

Maize (corn)

We noticed corn was being shucked one or two kernels at a time. So we added a simple corn shucker to the upper shaft of the thresher (see image above). This saves countless time and blisters.

The work continues in Tawang as we look for agricultural and medical means to help the poor in this remote area of the Himalayas.