Traditional agriculture in transition: a case of Har-ki Doon Valley (Govind Pashu Vihar Sanctuary and National Park) in Central Himalaya

Abstract

Traditional crop diversity and landraces in agricultural land use in Himalaya have great significant for long-term sustainability of agroecosystems, together with conservation and management of the surrounding landscape. Traditional crop varieties and races, which evolved over time through trial and error, not only provide basic nutritional requirements, but also food security. Loss of crop biodiversity has taken place over recent years, principally and inadvertently related to changing lifestyle, growing demand for cash crops in regional markets and burgeoning apple farming, whose acreage has increased with a concomitant decline in area under traditional crops. For sustainable landscape development, on-farm conservation of traditional crop diversity is urgently needed. An empirical study was done to understand the causes and consequences of declines in crop biodiversity and production, effect of apple farming on traditional crops and changing lifestyles of traditional people.

Keywords:

• traditional crop
• Central Himalaya
• animal husbandry
• rural technologies

Acknowledgements

The authors thank the Director, G.B. Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development, Kosi-Katarmal for providing facilities to undertake this work.