Deep Roots

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ity, climatic uncertainty and meeting basic needs. In the IHR the

traditional farming system has a focus on self-reliance, contrary

to modern agriculture which aims for economic gains. Farmers,

through trial and error, have evolved diverse agrotechnologies

related to land terraces, water management, irrigation, soil

conservation, manuring, weeding, crop rotation and lopping

regimes for agroforestry tree species. Many of them are ‘best

practices’ based on low input, and are therefore the best fit for

developing adaptation and mitigation strategies.

The major focus of policies in the Himalayan region seems

to be skewed towards big farms, as subsidies are provided

for raising orchards, floriculture, pisciculture, chemical ferti-

lizers, fencing of farms, irrigation and so on. This is hardly

feasible for smallholders who have small and fragmented

land holdings. There is a need for appropriate policies and

programmes to encourage farmers in the conservation of

agrobiodiversity, particularly in rain-fed areas. Also, appro-

priate institutional mechanisms and capacity to address the

issue of agrobiodiversity conservation need to be devised. The

wealth of indigenous knowledge of Himalayan communities

in managing agroecosystems and agrobiodiversity need to

be understood by the outside world to get adequate policy

backing. There is a need to improvise from subsistence to a

market economy, and there is no harm in that if it is seen as

a natural change for farming communities. However, farmers

have little information on market linkage, technologies and

the latest policies, so appropriate capacity development should

regulate this change. The cash crop economy is successful in

areas where effective value chains exist. Although at small

scale, rural markets (village markets), locally called ‘hats’,

have good potential for providing income to smallholders.

The Govind Ballabh Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment

and Development, keeping in view the issue of smallholder

farming systems and farm families in the IHR, has been

vigorously pursuing research, documentation of traditional

knowledge, demonstration of environment-friendly natural

resource management models among smallholder farming

communities, documentation and promotion of pollinator

friendly best practices, training and capacity building of farm

families, and policy advocacy in order to achieve food security

and sustainable management of agroecosystems in the IHR.

It would be logical to improvise on traditional technologies

that have ecological efficiency, economic viability, social accept-

ability and environmental suitability rather than replacing them

with modern tools and techniques. As policies and programmes

often regulate change among communities, appropriate policy

design is required to make sure farming programmes are people

programmes. Policies should encourage the internalization of

development interventions and must focus on empowering

farmers. Therefore, the role of people should be more active in

policy formulation, based on the transfer of appropriate knowl-

edge and technologies, and the amalgamation of new knowledge

with traditional knowledge. If appropriately planned, family

farming can provide and contribute significantly to the food

security, increased livelihoods, social protection and well-being

of Himalayan farming communities.

A view of mix-cropping in rain-fed conditions in a high altitude area of north-west Himalaya

Image: G.B. Pant Institute

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