Agrobiodiversity in changing shifting cultivation landscapes of the Indian Himalayas: An empirical assessment

Abstract

The present study explores agrobiodiversity in the changing shifting cultivation landscapes (SCL) in India’s North East, a region that accounts for 83% of the area under SCL in India and also encompasses the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot. Based on a survey of 481 households across 52villages in six states in India to quantify agrobiodiversity using a large dataset, the study also captures the socio-ecological dimensions of, and potential threats to, agrobiodiversity conservation. The careful assessment documented 55 crop species and6 breeds of livestock, both with numerous landraces, and many wild edible plants. This available biodiversity within the SCL plays a central role in delivering ecosystem goods and services that sustain the well-being of the inhabitants of the landscape. However, North East India’s SCLs are steadily moving towards cash crops and also towards increasingly shorter fallow periods. These findings are clarion call to preserve landraces – preserved for decades if not centuries as part of the traditional agroforestry systems practised by the indigenous peoples – that may one day prove invaluable in building resilience by ensuring integrated landscape planning for sustainable development. Above all, the study results may be useful to Landscape Stewardship-Integrating landscape values into agricultural and rural development policies.