The small farmers of Central Himalayan region are achieving high level of diversification through rotation of pure crops in space and time, and through mixed cropping systems. The system with a potential to feed the hill population and conserve natural resources, requires serious attention from the policy makers, to survive.
Hill farming system involves diverse crops and their varieties, medicinal plants, forest species, practiced by the Adi tribes of Arunachal Pradesh. These tribal farmers are conserving biodiversity and meeting the food, balanced nutrition and health benefits from this farming system.
Supporters of small-scale farming claim that it provides livelihoods, and it can also conserve agrodiversity. In an attempt to show this, an international network of scientists joined hands with farmer communities to document
Adding various components on to a farm and integrating them has helped small farmers in Tamil Nadu reap rich harvests. The bio intensive farm models promoted by the Department of Science and Technology and based on agro-ecosystem principles, have resulted in a sustainable farm production and livelihoods.
Diversity is being lost rapidly both in nature and culture,
including agriculture. But, all is not lost yet. Realising the benefits and also as a reliable option in fragile ecosystems, communities are still nurturing diversity. This article highlights issues, available and potential options as well as barriers.
The art of rice cultivation has descended from one generation to another in Apatani tribes. The practice based on traditional wisdom which has sustained over generations, has made rice production economically viable, ecologically safe and often energy efficient.
The article highlights the strength of integrating farmer’s involvement in identifying native species, establishment of plant nurseries in the vicinity, timeliness of operations and shared ownership in terms of protection measures. This is an effort of CAZRI in collaboration with local farming communities to revive traditional agro forestry systems in Rajasthan.
Small land holders can be self sustainable. This was proved by Shri. Santu, a small farmer in Gorakhpur, who started making a decent living from farming by increasing the diversity on the farms and integrating one into another.
Eastern Uttar Pradesh, in the foothills of the Nepal Himalayas, has been prone to floods for centuries. In the last 60 years, however, their frequency has increased dramatically. People living in the region have slowly developed ways to cope with the floods. These adaptive measures had not been documented until now.
