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The Economics of Happiness

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You are here: Home / Projects / Ladakh Project

Ladakh Project

Local Futures’ founder Helena Norberg-Hodge first went to Ladakh in 1975, when the region was opened to tourism and “development”.  She found communities and a place-based agrarian culture that – despite scarce resources and a difficult climate – had sustainably met the Ladakhis material and psychological needs for hundreds of years.

The lessons learned from this thriving culture – and from the social and ecological devastation that followed as Ladakh was opened up to the global economy – inspired her to start Local Futures. We have continued our work in Ladakh ever since.

Helena Norberg-Hodge in Ladakh

Ladakh Project

Local Futures’ founder Helena Norberg-Hodge first went to Ladakh in 1975, when the region was opened to tourism and “development”.  She found communities and a place-based agrarian culture that – despite scarce resources and a difficult climate – had sustainably met the Ladakhis material and psychological needs for hundreds of years.

Helena Norberg-Hodge in Ladakh

The lessons learned from this thriving culture – and from the social and ecological devastation that followed as Ladakh was opened up to the global economy – inspired her to start Local Futures. We have continued our work in Ladakh ever since.

Recent and ongoing projects

Our Ladakhi team is focusing on relocalizing food systems and reviving traditional practices. In collaboration with indigenous organizations and the local government, we host workshops and dialogues on food, farming and traditional knowledge, promote more responsible tourism, and produce short films on the major issues facing Ladakh today.

Gathering on Khunak

In December 2022, we hosted a 2-day residential workshop with the aim to create a platform for young Ladakhis to vent their concern about the socio-economic and cultural changes in Ladakh and to discuss what can be done about it. A full report will follow soon.

The workshop was featured on the news channel 24×7 (Hindi spoken). Watch here →

Khunak Alliance Ladakh 2022
Khunak Alliance Ladakh 2022

Gathering on Khunak

In December 2022, we hosted a 2-day residential workshop with the aim to create a platform for young Ladakhis to vent their concern about the socio-economic and cultural changes in Ladakh and to discuss what can be done about it. A full report will follow soon.

The workshop was featured on the news channel 24×7 (Hindi spoken). Watch here →

Celebrating Nas, Ladakh, 2022. Photo by Alex Jensen, Local Futures

Celebrating Nas – barley

On September 17-18, 2022 we organized, together with Snow Leopard Conservancy, Ladakh Arts and Media Organization, and Kalpavriksh, the event ‘Celebrating Nas’ – barley – to revitalize, reconnect and revalue Ladakhi culture, traditions and food sovereignty.

Watch this short video made by Local Futures’ Ladakh team that expresses why nas is so important to Ladakhi culture.

Download full report →
Tourist Education Program and Screenings Ladakh
Tourist Education Program

This program helps visitors to Ladakh become aware of their impact on the region, and offers guidelines for culturally, economically and ecologically responsible behavior.

Find out more →
Tourist Education Program Ladakh - Local Futures
Film screenings

From June to October, daily screenings of our award-winning films 'Ancient Futures' and 'The Economics of Happiness' take place at the Women´s Alliance Centre in Leh, followed by a lively discussion.

Watch our films →
Economics of Happiness film by Local Futures
Help with the Harvest Ladakh, Local Futures
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Help in the Villages
connection to other people and nature; physical activity; meaningful work; singing, cooking and eating together.

This program, running throughout the agricultural season, enables visitors to help out with various work in Ladakhi villages, especially agricultural work including crop harvesting, irrigation, weeding and the like, along with household work and village building projects as they arise.

Not only does this provide useful labor for the Ladakhi hosts, but facilitates meaningful cultural exchange and deep learnings about various contemporary socio-environmental challenges affecting not only Ladakh, but the world, and lessons for confronting them that the villages offer.

If you're interested in participating next summer, please contact us.

Contact us →

40 Years in Ladakh

We’ve been working on a wide range of projects, from theater productions and radio show to Ladakhi language schoolbooks. 

Regularly we’re hosting interactive workshops for Ladakhi youth and tourists and in 2019 we’ve organized a 2-day international conference looking at the different notions of “progress” and co-published a book ‘Dhontang – Food in Ladakh’.

Find out more →
Workshop in Ladakh - Local Futures Ladakh Project
Workshop in Ladakh - Local Futures Ladakh Project

40 Years in Ladakh

We’ve been working on a wide range of projects, from theater productions and radio show to Ladakhi language schoolbooks. 

Regularly we’re hosting interactive workshops for Ladakhi youth and tourists and in 2019 we’ve organized a 2-day international Economics of Happiness conference looking at the different notions of “progress” and co-published a book ‘Dhontang – Food in Ladakh’.

Find out more →
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Blogs on Ladakh - sign up now →
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'Chak Chok- a campaign against junk food' by Kunzang Deachen and Alex Jensen - Local Futures
Chak Chok: a campaign against junk food
by Kunzang Deachen and Alex Jensen

Transnational corporations have been spectacularly successful in their profit-driven quest to hook the world on junk food...

Read more →
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Blog Localization and Buen Vivir by Christian Stalberg - Local Futures
Localization and Buen Vivir
by Christian Stalberg

Today, there exists what in my estimation is an unprecedented moment for altering the course of human history. The hopes and dreams...

Read more →
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Appropriate Technology - blog Local Futures
Appropriate Technology, Traditional Cultures and Degrowth
by Alex Jensen

The industrial-capitalist-technological system is characterized by perpetual growth through excessive production, relentless...

Read more →
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Blog 'Young Farmers in Ladakh' - Local Futures
Young farmers in Ladakh
by Chozin Palmo, Jigmet Singge and Kunzang Deachen

Ladakh – high on the Tibetan Plateau at the northern extreme of India – is the place we call home. The vast majority of Ladakhis...

Read more →
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Blog 'Community-oriented life at human scale' by Jorn Bettin. Photo by Elaine Casap on Unsplash.
Community-oriented life at human scale
by Jorn Bettin

The documentary Ancient Futures: Learning from Ladakh (John Page, Chris Breemen, Helena Norberg-Hodge...

Read more →
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Blog 'Progress and the modernization of Ladakh' - Local Futures
Progress and the modernization of Ladakh
by Kunzang Deachen

One morning during breakfast, my family started talking about new policies of the government towards “Progress” to...

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Blog 'Lockdown in Ladakh' by  Tsering Stobdan
Lockdown in Ladakh
by Tsering Stobdan

I returned to my village in Ladakh when the Prime Minister announced the first lockdown in late-March. I ended up spending the...

Read more →
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Blog 'COVID-19: an opportunity for localization' by Thinles Chondol
COVID-19: an opportunity for localization
by Thinles Chondol

Prior to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was believed that globalisation would lead to development...

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Blog Post-pandemic development- a Ladakhi perspective by Padma Rigzin
Post-pandemic development: a Ladakhi perspective
by Padma Rigzin

A week before the announcement of the Janata [public] Curfew slated for March 22, 2020, I spoke with a 43-year-old...

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Barbie Mindful Ladakh. Photo by Sean Bernstein on Unsplash
Rambo, Barbie and Wordsworth
by John Page

The scene is a classroom in Leh, Ladakh, twelve thousand feet up in the western Himalayas. A young teacher stands...

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The Pressure to Modernize by Helena Norberg-Hodge. Photo by Ivan Bandura on Unsplash.
The Pressure to Modernize
by Helena Norberg-Hodge

Why do traditional societies break down upon their first sustained contact with the modern world? The easy answer...

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The March of the Monoculture by Helena Norberg-Hodge. Photo by Niklas Hamann on Unsplash.
The March of the Monoculture
by Helena Norberg-Hodge

For many, the rise of the global economy marks the final fulfilment of the great dream of a 'Global Village'. Almost...

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Watch our short videos produced by our Ladakhi team

Celebrating Nas – this video expresses why nas is so important to Ladakhi culture.

Traditional Harvesting – showcases traditional harvesting in the remote village of Gya in Eastern Ladakh.

Young Farmers in Ladakh – highlights the importance of local knowledge and traditional skills for young farmers.

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