Most villages in the Dolpo are between 3,500 and 4,000 metres. The growing season is very short. Field crops here are basic, barley, buckwheat and potatoes. Vegetables that can be grown in greenhouses – greens, carrots, cucumber, cauliflower, cabbage and squash, even tomatoes – dramatically improve nutrition and food security. Altitude Project has provided materials for the construction of two greenhouses at the schools, and more than fifty in the villages. We have requests for help with many more.

In the long winter they provide a warm, bright place for students to study, for women to weave, and for the community to gather.

The cost of greenhouse materials and their transportation is ~ $500 US per greenhouse. Materials such as plastic, wire, hardware, seed and irrigation equipment are purchased in Kathmandu. Any wood products needed for doors and vents are purchased in the Lower Dolpo. Structural walls are made from stone and / or rammed earth.