In the cold desert of Ladakh, where the wind blows fiercely throughout the valley, farming is not only hard, but it is almost impossible. However, Tsewang Nurbu has changed the landscape and has given birth to green life into the snow-capped mountain desert, with complete support from the SankalpTaru foundation. He has managed to turn a cold desert land into a flourishing green orchard.
Tsewang, a 40-year old father of two, lives in a small village Ladakh, where life is breathtaking and unforgiving. With a short growing season and scarce water, agriculture here requires a lot of patience, resilience and hope – the qualities that Tsewang has carried with him all his life.
For generations, subsistence farming was practiced by his family. They used to grow barley and a few vegetables. But the recent climate change led to change even in these fragile patterns. Glaciers were melting faster, rivers were drying up and sudden floods destroyed what little they could grow. The land that fed them was turning into dust, Tsewang recalls while gazing at the vast dry landscape around his home.
It was a struggle for survival along with food. A lot of young people left the village and went to cities in search of work. However, Tsewang refused to leave the land which was tended for centuries by his ancestors. He wanted his children to know this land as something alive rather than a wasteland.
SankalpTaru foundation had started their work in Ladakh around this time. Known for its innovative approach to planting trees in some of India’s most challenging terrains, the organization had already transformed drylands in Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh. In Ladakh, they saw both an opportunity and a challenge, to spread greenery to the cold desert while empowering local farmers to adapt to climate changes.
When the team visited Tsewang’s village, he listened carefully to what they spoke about soil conservation, afforestation and sustainable farming. The idea of growing trees in the cold desert seemed almost impossible to him. However the team’s confidence encouraged him somewhat. He thought that if the team can believe that trees can grow in this rocky desert soil, maybe he too can believe.
After a few days, Tsewang joined their Mountain Desert Tree Plantation program. The team provided him saplings of willow, apricot, poplar and seabuckthorn. These species were known for their resilience in harsh cold conditions. They also trained farmers like Tsewang in organic composting, drip irrigation techniques and water harvesting that was suitable in high altitude mountain desert conditions.
As the region receives only 50 mm of rainfall throughout the year, the first challenge was obviously that of water. The SankalpTaru team helped Tsewang and others build check dams and water storage pits to capture melting glacier water throughout the short summer months. Tsewang thought that earlier the water would just flow away but now they could store it and because of that, every tree would get a chance to live.
The planting season was short and it was a few precious weeks between thaw and frost. Tsewang and other farmers worked extremely hard to plant the saplings in the rocky soil with maximum care. They treated the saplings as their own children and gave them water, warmth and prayers.
After a few months, the saplings began to take root. The rocky brown slowly started to show hints of green. The birds slowly started to visit again, drawn by the trees and insects. The transformation was slow but very real.
Tsewang’s pride grew along with the trees. The Willow and Poplar trees provided shade and protection from harsh winds. The seabuckthorn shrubs produced bright orange berries, rich in nutrients and which was now a source of income for his family. The Apricot tree, which was considered impossible to grow, bore fruits that he could sell in the local market. It felt like magic to Tsewang as something that felt dead was now alive again.
Beyond Tsewang’s own land, this impact had spread throughout the village. Other farmers, inspired by his success, approached SankalpTaru for buying saplings and learning the best farming practices. This is how a small pilot effort transformed into a community movement, spreading greenery across the barren slopes of Ladakh.
SankalpTaru’s geo-tagging technology allowed donors from all over the world to see the exact location of the trees and also track their growth. This meant something even more powerful for Tsewang as the bond was created between his small village and people who cared about the planet from thousands of miles away. For Tsewang, it felt good that someone was watching their trees grow. This made him and farmers like him feel less alone.
Today, Tsewang’s land stands as the benchmark of what innovation, hope and community effort can achieve together. His wife sells handmade seabuckthorn jam to tourists visiting Ladakh and his children play under the shade of young trees. A family, once on the brink of despair, now dreams of expanding their orchard and teaching what they learnt in the nearby villages.
As the cold wind blows over Tsewang’s blossoming green cropland, he thinks that once people used to call it a desert and now he can see life there.
Through SankalpTaru foundation’s efforts, farmers like Tsewang have proven that the harshest rocky desert mountain desert land can bloom with greenery. Their work in Ladakh is not just planting trees but planting hope in the heart of the Himalayas.
At the end of the day, Tsewang’s story is not just about a farmer’s triumph, it’s a reminder that with courage, vision and care, even the coldest deserts can turn green.
