Integrated Management of Land, Water and Bioresources for Sustainable Agriculture in North Eastern Region of India

Abstract

The ecosystem approach is a strategy for the integrated management of land, water and living resources that promotes conservation and sustainable use in an equitable way. There is no single way to implement the ecosystem approach, as it depends on local, provincial, national, regional or global conditions. The North Eastern Region (NER) of India represents three geographies (East Himalayas, Brahmaputra Valley, and North East Hills) and covers about 7.7 percent of the total geographic area of India. Around 56 percent of the cultivated area of the NER is under low altitude (valley or lowland), 33 percent under mid-altitude (flat upland), and the rest under high altitude (upland terrace). The environment, local conditions, socio-economic and socio-cultural life of different tribal communities and the rituals associated with agricultural practices have developed many Indigenous farming systems, which have in-built eco-friendly systems for conservation, preservation and utilization of natural resources. However, with the passage of time, some of these practices have been further refined and modified to cater the location specific present day needs for conservation of natural resources, particularly soil and water resources. The present article is to discuss some important ecosystem approaches/traditional practices followed in the North Eastern Region with recent innovations to make agriculture more efficient and more sustainable.