ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces the topic of food security in Ladakh. Ladakhi villages have historically used a variety of strategies for managing food security, at the household, inter-household, village and inter-village level. In Buddhist villages monasteries have provided an additional safety net for food provisioning. This chapter discusses these traditional systems, and then contrasts these organizational structures with the Indian ration system. The Indian ration program now functionally limits Ladakhi self-sufficiency and has caused dietary shifts as well. Benefits and limitations of both traditional and current practices are discussed, as well as new design directions. Finally, the chapter addresses the topic of self-sufficiency with regard to food provisioning under the pressures of climate change.
