Constructing a database for the study of Tibeto-Himalayan pastoral and agricultural resources: An attempt to connect field and literature surveys

The people of the Tibeto-Himalayan region have developed traditional livelihoods that take advantage of the cool, dry, highland environment, while being influenced by various cultural spheres. Hirata (2013) has presented a convincing theory about the influence of the surrounding areas on the dairy processing process, based on his extensive research on dairy processing processes in various regions of Eurasia. In this study, we are applying the method of comparative study of milk processing to other resources, and are constructing a database of Tibeto-Himalayan pastoral and agricultural resources in order to examine the influence of these resources on the surrounding regions and the unique development of each region in a more multilayered manner. We are sharing data collected from literature in various languages on the processing processes of various pastoral and agricultural resources in the region, and inputting them with geographical information, chronological information, and comments for interregional comparative studies. In this presentation, we will introduce a case study of inter-regional comparative research on milk processing and dairy products using this database, and report on the preparation of questionnaires for future field surveys.