Emerging Concern of Himalayan Mountain Agrobiodiversity: Issues and Priorities for Sustainable Agriculture Development, India

摘要

A large section of the Himalayan mountain population largely depends upon agricultural basedrnactivities for their livelihood. Traditional farming in Central Himalayan Mountain is complex in thatrncrop husbandry, animal husbandry and forests constitute interlinked production systems.rnInaccessibility, environmental heterogeneity and ecological fragility favoured evolution ofrnsubsistence production systems sustained with organic matter and nutrients derived from the forests.rnAbove 80% of people of this region largely depend on the agriculture. Land holdings are small andrnfragmented. Terraced slopes, covering 85% of total agricultural land, are generally rainfed, whilernthe valleys, covering 15% of area are irrigated. Mixed cropping is common in rainfed agriculture.rnOver 40 crop species and numerous farmer-selected land races are cultivated. This huge diversityrnhas been maintained through a variety of crop compositions, cropping patterns, crop rotations and arnwide range of variation in edaphic, topographic and climatic conditions. Increased populationrnpressure from within the mountain region, largely exacerbated by external pressures from thernindustrial societies from the plains, has contributed to major changes in the agroecosystems of thernHimalayan Mountain and the associated rapid depletion of natural resources.rnThe land use change in the Himalayan Mountain is significant and affects a whole range of issues.rnThese encompass concerns such as global warming and climate change, biodiversity depletion,rnbiological invasion, land degradation and hydrological imbalances. The changes are closely linkedrnwith the issue of sustainability of socio-economic development since they affect the natural resources.rnGiven that all such changes are potentially serious, the one with the most immediate effect onrnagriculture is land use change. This includes abrupt and major changes, such as the switch fromrnnatural vegetation to cultivation, or of changes associated with what is often termed agriculturalrnintensification. Recent concerns about sustainability and global change have brought these issues tornthe fore and re-awakened interest in traditional mountain agroecosystems rich in agrobiodiversity.rnA recent study conducted in 150 villages located along an altitudinal gradient (between 500 torn3000 m asl) in the Ganges catchment of Central Himalayan mountain reveals surprising facts onrndeclining diversity of the traditional crops during a very short period of two decades (1974-1994).rnArea under Avena sativa, Fagopyrum sps. Hordeum himalayens and legumes like cowpea, matbean,rnadjuki bean (Vigna sps.) and Macrotyloma uniflorum declined by 72-95%. These crops are mostlyrnreplaced by cash crops like potato, soybean, kidney bean, pigeon pea, mustard and amaranths.rnAbout 65% of the area under Panicum miliaceum and Setaria italica is now cropped with highyieldingrnrice varieties and soybean. Cultivation of Perilla frutescense, Macrotyloma and Vigna spp. isrnnow on the verge of extinction. Though the area under rice and wheat has not changed much, thernfarmer-selected cultivars grown till 1970s have been completely replaced by artificially bred HYVsrnof rice and wheat. In the Himalayan Gazetteers of 1882, Atkinson listed 48 varieties of rice andrnstated that there were thousands of other no descriptive varieties. Today only 7-8 traditionalrncultivars including Ramjawan, Thapachini, etc. in irrigated and Ghyasu in rainfed areas are rarelyrnobserved.rnThe recent decline in mountain agrobiodiversity is due to cumulative effect of a variety of factorsrnincluding: (a) degradation of the natural forests, (b) illusions about coarse and fine grains, (c) largernscale migration for off-farm employment, (d) supply of HYVs seeds at subsidized price by the government, (e) tendency of maximization of profits through monocropping of cash crops, and (f)rnlack of incentives for marketing of traditional crops. In spite of many virtues of traditional crops, wernare still losing the precious genetic diversity, the rivets of ecosystems’ stability, gradually. If seriousrnview of the existing situation is not taken into account, the Central Himalayan Mountain will alwaysrnremain a food-importing region and loose badly in terms of ecological and economic security. Itrnbecomes particularly significant when population is increasing. It has been predicted that by the turnrnof the century around 6% (62 millions) of India’s population will be living in the HimalayanrnMountain. Furthermore, the region would lose traditional knowledge of cultivation and uses of theserncrops forever and would also lose the chance of being a diverse and nutritive food-producing region.rnIn situ conservation of traditional crops and cultivars could succeed when these crops are stronglyrnlinked with economic development of mountain farmers. Social, ecological and policy factorsrnsignificantly influence the cropping patterns. Policy interventions have encouraged improvement inrnproduction of a selected few common food crops like paddy and wheat ignoring the diversity andrnspecificities of the mountain agriculture. Pragmatic multidisciplinary research efforts are needed tornevolve farming systems, which can provide enough quality food and economic security to the peoplernof the region together with conservation and sustainable development of traditional agriculturalrnsystem.