Abstract
The soil and land resources play a vital role in sustaining the local livelihoods of rural communities in the Himalaya. Most of the arable land has already been brought under cultivation, hence the ever-increasing demand for food and fiber has left farmers with no choice but to intensify agriculture. However, producing more crops and greater quantities of food, fiber and other materials on the same parcel of land can to soil fertility and productivity decline with overall degradation of land quality. Therefore, ways and means to intensify agriculture to enhance productivity without degrading the soil and land resource base have become imperative. Agro-forestry, agro-slivi-pastoral systems, and the adoption of a variety of crop, soil and water management and conservation practices offer potential to deliver multiple benefits without sacrificing the very resource upon which the human population depends. Presented herein are findings on approaches to sustainable intensification of agriculture and land management related to soil OM management and C sequestration for multiple benefits, and, agro-forestry as a crop diversification strategy with both livelihood, and climate change adaptation/mitigation benefits. The results indicate that sustainable soil management practices could lead to significant SOC accumulations (4-8 t/ha over 6 yrs). SOC and soil C stocks tend to increase with elevation due to cooler climate and slow decomposition rates. Carbon stocks for the 3 LU types was in the order CF>AF/LH>AG, suggesting that diversified cropping practices including agro-forestry have good potential sequester C while providing livelihood opportunities and climate adaptive capacity for local farming communities. Biochar amendment increased growth of both coffee plants and radish with mixed grass/weed biochar being most effective. Biochar application also significantly decreased emission of GHGs, especially N2O.
Highlights
Soil and land resources have been the backbone of human civilization ever since prehistoric communities established permanent settlements and began settled agriculture some 10,000 years ago [1]
This study presents a few approaches to sustainable land management and intensification of agriculture focusing on: Soil organic matter (SOM) management and C sequestration for multiple benefits; and, agro-forestry as a crop diversification strategy with both livelihood and climate mitigation/adaptation benefits
This study revealed that in the fours study districts, the average soil organic matter contents, and soil organic carbon (SOC) amounts, 43 ractice
Summary
Soil and land resources have been the backbone of human civilization ever since prehistoric communities established permanent settlements and began settled agriculture some 10,000 years ago [1]. Historical records show that past civilizations (such as the ancient settlements of the Tigris-Euphrates and Nile River valleys), flourished because of access to fertile soils and likewise they declined as a result of land degradation and loss of fertility of agricultural lands [2]. Arable land has essentially reached the limits of expansion but pressures on land resource base continue to increase, with evergreater demands for settlements, food and fiber production. The need for producing more food on the same amount of land has fuelled agricultural intensification. There is an urgent need for “sustainable” intensification of agriculture as well as land management
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