Himalayan agricultural terraces function as vital, engineered slope-stabilization structures that depend entirely on continuous maintenance by local communities. The accelerating decay of these dry-stone retaining systems due to rural outmigration transforms once-stable slopes into severe landslide hazards during heavy monsoon downpours. Revitalizing agrarian livelihoods is not merely an economic imperative, but a fundamental ecological defense required to sustain the human custodianship necessary for stabilizing vulnerable mountain landscapes.