Integrated agriculture and allied natural resource management in northeast mountains-transformations and assets building.

摘要

Agriculture and allied natural resource management is a multifarious issue in view of dynamic economic and sociopolitical backgrounds. We investigated human-ecosystem relationship for agriculture development using sustainable natural resource management strategies for improved livelihood in a cultural landscape inhabited of Apatani tribe in northeast India. We argue that social robustness, traditional institutions, and cultural obligations govern resource management; we investigated integrated agriculture and allied resource (water and forest) management strategies by assessing community's current state in light of past 50 years and possible opportunities to strengthen local institutions for resource governance. The community maintains diverse agro-ecosystems to congregate the house consumption and cash needs. Early and late growing rice varieties cultivated along with fish farming to maximize agriculture production. The agro-ecosystems exhibited a high ecological and economic efficiency that brings a high degree of self-sufficiency to the community. Resource management is done by village institutions through collective decisions; needful transformations are done to fulfill the demand of changing environment. Ownership, village governance, and ritual-ceremonies played key role in maintaining resources over past 50 years. The integrated management of resources by Apatanis could be an exemplary model for any society to replicate.