In Bajaura, in Himachal Pradesh’s Kullu district, farmers have had to rethink their orchards twice. As changing weather made apple cultivation harder, they turned to pomegranates. Then plant viruses began affecting those orchards too.
Now, persimmons are offering another possibility.
For anyone who associates Himachal with bags of apples brought home after a holiday, that change may be surprising. For the people tending these orchards, it comes down to a pressing question: what can they grow to keep earning from their land?
Rising temperatures, declining snowfall and unpredictable rainfall are making familiar crops harder to rely on. Farmers are responding by trying different fruits, growing crops together and changing how they care for their soil.
Their efforts feature in a study by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), supported by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD). Released on 31 October 2026, it draws on experiences across 12 gram panchayats in Mandi, Kullu, Sirmaur and Shimla.
The study identifies 25 ways communities can prepare for climate risks. Among them are practices villagers have already begun putting to work, shaped by what they see happening in their fields and around their homes.
What do you plant when the familiar crop struggles?
Bajaura’s move towards persimmons shows how much adjustment farming now demands. Replacing apples with pomegranates did not end the uncertainty. Farmers had to look for another option when disease affected the replacement crop.
Growing a mix of crops can help spread the risk of a poor harvest, though poor transport and limited cold storage still constrain farmers’ earnings. Photograph: (Himachal Watcher)
And choosing a fruit is only part of making an orchard viable. Farmers need water to grow it and roads to get the harvest to buyers. In Bajaura, dwindling irrigation water and roads damaged during disasters continue to make both difficult.
In Parara, Sirmaur, growers face a related problem. Residents report that changing rainfall and rising temperatures have altered planting schedules and increased diseases affecting tomatoes and garlic.
Some farmers are combining garlic cultivation with specialised apple varieties. The village’s efforts also include natural farming and rainwater harvesting. Growing a mix of crops can help spread the risk of a poor harvest, though poor transport and limited cold storage still constrain farmers’ earnings.
For a farming household, finding something that grows is the beginning. Being able to sell it is what helps pay the bills.
In Sandhu, change begins with the soil
In Sandhu, Shimla, farmers are reconsidering how they grow their crops.
Community members report that prolonged chemical fertiliser use has affected soil quality and fertility. Local women have responded by taking up natural farming, which avoids synthetic fertilisers and pesticides and uses resources available on the farm.
The aim is to nurture the soil while reducing reliance on purchased chemical inputs.
According to community accounts documented in the study, the practice has spread to more than 20 families after residents found it profitable and better able to withstand extreme weather.
That experience gives neighbours something practical to consider: a different way of farming already being tried close to home.
Yet even healthier soil and a different crop need water. In nearby Sirmaur district, that has brought women’s groups back to the traditional sources their villages once relied on.
Bringing water back to village life
Thana Kashoga once had 35 perennial baoris, traditional spring-fed water structures that supplied households throughout the year. According to the study, only 10 remain.
Residents report declining rainfall and rising temperatures, putting increasing pressure on these sources. The shortage reaches into everyday life, affecting drinking water, irrigation and livestock. Fodder scarcity and forest fires have also made pastoral livelihoods harder to sustain.
Local women have responded by taking up natural farming, which avoids synthetic fertilisers and pesticides and uses resources available on the farm. The aim is to nurture the soil while reducing reliance on purchased chemical inputs. Photograph: (Triya Gulati via The Print)
Women’s groups have taken on the work of maintaining and restoring the baoris. Their efforts connect directly to what farmers are trying to do: keep village life possible as the conditions supporting it change.
These communities still need dependable irrigation, transport and support to carry their work forward. A new crop cannot fix a damaged road, and a restored water source needs continued care.
But in Thana Kashoga, there is a tangible reason to keep going. Women’s groups clean the baoris monthly. Five springs have been revived, with work on another five or six under way.
