The journey for fodder is too often becoming a final one

In the remote hills of Nepal, the daily task of collecting fodder for livestock has tragically turned fatal for many women and girls. Seventeen-year-old Dammara Dhami's recent death, after she tripped and fell from a steep cliff while cutting grass in Bajhang district, exemplifies the perilous reality faced by those in rural communities.

Her accident is not an isolated incident. In Bungal Municipality alone, an estimated four to five people lose their lives annually in similar cliff-related accidents. Local representatives note that these deaths are a grim consequence of the necessity to raise livestock for survival, which in turn requires climbing dangerous slopes for fodder. Over the past five years, 22 people in Bungal have died in such accidents.

The burden of this dangerous work falls disproportionately on women, who are responsible for collecting fodder and firewood. They navigate treacherous narrow trails and steep cliffs daily, often without safety equipment. The underlying causes are a combination of persistent poverty, challenging geography, and an agrarian economy heavily reliant on livestock. The article also highlights recurring family tragedies, such as one where three women from the same family died falling from the same cliff over two decades.

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Every village here has families who have lost loved ones to these cliffs. People cannot survive without raising livestock, and to feed them they have to climb dangerous cliffs. A single misstep can cost a life.