Traditional Farming Systems and Agro-biodiversity in Eastern Himalayan Region of India

The North Eastern Indian states, namely Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura, Sikkim, and hill districts of Assam constitute about 52% area of total Eastern Himalaya. This part of India is a culturally diverse region inhabited by more than 200 tribes in eight states and also recognized as one of the biodiversity hot spots in the world. The entire North Eastern Region (NER) is endowed with rich floral, faunal, and socio-cultural diversity represented by Trans Himalaya, Himalaya and North East India, Bio-geographic realms, an Indo-Burma biodiversity hot spot. Shifting cultivation, also known as jhum, is the major farming system in the hilly terrains of NER. Jhum cultivation is a cyclic process of slash and burn of community-owned natural forests followed by the cultivation of food crops. After 2–3 years of cultivation in a particular piece of land, the jhumia farmers rotate the land and the previously cultivated area is left fallow for regeneration. Wet terrace paddy cultivation in valleys is another traditional farming practice in the NER. These traditional farming practices are unique and tribe-specific which maintains high cultural and farm agro-biodiversity in the region. Alder-based jhum and wet terrace paddy cultivation by Angami tribe, Zabo system of Chakhesang tribe, tree-based cultivation of Konyak tribe in Nagaland, paddy-cum-fish farming and jhum cultivation by Apatani tribe in Arunachal Pradesh, jhum and bun (terrace) farming by ethnic Khasi tribe of Meghalaya, rice-based farming in Tripura, organic farming, as well as terrace rice cultivation in the river valleys of Sikkim are the predominant traditional farming systems. These indigenous farming systems in the NER represent rich cultural and agro-biodiversity. This chapter attempts to describe unique traditional farming systems, innovations to transform conventional jhum cultivation, farm agro-biodiversity and rural livelihood of tribal communities in the NER of India.