But most of these activities provide low returns due to low productivity, low volume of production, and lack of markets. However, people must continue with these activities because of the lack of alternatives. Even though there may be opportunities for improving the quality of options by reducing the range, these are not exploited because of the absence of knowledge, lack of food security, imperfect markets, lack of technical know-how, and so on. While these are the common experiences in most parts of the mountains, in some selected pockets farmers are now moving towards fewer options which are economically superior. The standards of living of these farmers have improved considerably and such farmers are extremely market-oriented.
Farmers are also more willing to make investments to improve the quality of their farm resources.
Empirical studies were undertaken to find the answers to some of these questions. Two case studies, one each in India and Nepal, were carried out. Study areas were selected from Kullu district in Himachal Pradesh, India, and Ilam district in Nepal. Number and Quality of Options Observations from Kullu in Himachal Pradesh, India, suggest that households prefer fewer higher quality production options. In the non-transformed area, over 50 per cent of the households had five to six options, with many households having even six to eight options.