 Uttarakhand, a state in India's north, is primarily a mountainous state, with only 10% of its total geographic layer in plains. With more than 3 quarters of its total population dependent on agriculture for the livelihoods, the state economy is predominantly sustained by mountain agriculture. The scope for agricultural growth here is however severely constrained due to various physical, geographical and environmental problems. Majority of the rural population in the mountainous terrain survives either through subsistence agriculture or through the migration of males to other parts of the country for employment. As a result, elderly men, women and children are left with the responsibility of traditional farming and livestock keeping. Throughout the year, green fodder is brought from the forests and animals too are left to graze there. Feeding livestock in winter is a serious issue faced by farmers in Uttarakhand. During the months of January and February, lack of green fodder imposes huge constraints on the farmers. The International Livestock Research Institute or ILRI is an organisation focused upon livestock research for development. To address the feed shortage issues in Uttarakhand, ILRI together with its local partner the Himmuthan Society conducted trials with wheat and barley in selected villages of the Terigarwal and Pythoragar districts. The trial was to test whether wheat and barley can produce green fodder in winter without impacting the grain yield. The results were promising. It was found that apart from normal grain production, wheat produced 2.5 to 3 tons per hectare of green fodder and barley yielded 1.7 to 3.8 tons per hectare of green fodder when cut at 2.5 centimetre above ground level 75 to 80 days after sowing. This increased the availability of fodder to almost 20 kgs per day per animal and contributed significantly to the fodder requirements of the mulch animals during one month of the winter season. Durkhi Devi is not the only farmer who participated in this trial. There were a number of other farmers too who carried out the same trial in their plots using wheat and barley. Fodder from wheat and barley has found increased acceptance among the farmers in both the districts. More and more farmers are now showing an interest in adopting this technique. If you wish to know more, please contact.