Himalayan agricultural systems, health systems, and diet have been undergoing significant changes over the past fifty years. It has been argued that many of the changes in traditional agricultural systems have had a detrimental effect on the natural environment as well as on traditional culture and knowledge systems; and significant activism and research are taking place in the region to document and preserve traditional agricultural knowledge and apply it to current problems. However, there is limited research on diet change in the Himalayan region, though the traditional agricultural system and diet are closely related. Through semi-structured interviews and focus groups with elder women villagers in the Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand, India, women's experience of diet change, recollections of the traditional diet, and of factors affecting diet change were explored. The main findings are that diets have shifted from a complete reliance on traditional crop varieties and home-grown food, to an increasing dependence on store-bought food. Women view the traditional crops and foods as healthier than store-bought food, yet also have past experiences with hunger and dietary restrictions due to their gender roles. These experiences of hunger, along with changing structural conditions, may be contributing to the shift away from the traditional diet.
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