Evaluation of Local Methods Employed to Increase Biodiversity in the Agroecosystems: A Case Study in Western Khorasan Province

Introduction Among the approaches that have received attention in recent years to sustain agroecosystems is the identification and employment of traditional/indigenous/local knowledge and strategies of smallholder farmers around the world to solve the basic challenges of these ecosystems regarding food production. In this regard, the role and function of biodiversity as the main component of indigenous knowledge is of particular importance. At the same time, with the expansion of new agricultural solutions, the use of these farmers' approaches has decreased over time and, in some cases, has completely disappeared. Therefore, this study was conducted with the aim of identifying the indigenous methods used in the agricultural ecosystems of the Sabzevar region and their role in increasing biodiversity. Biodiversity loss has been a major concern to humans, especially during the last quarter of the previous century. Nowadays, various efforts to protect agricultural biodiversity are emerging that seem not enough. Biodiversity in agricultural ecosystems causes effective control of weeds, pests and diseases and greater resistance to changing environmental conditions and leads to better management of agricultural systems and increased food security. Additionally, biodiversity is carefully managed and nurtured to interface with hydrological and nutrient cycling to provide for ecosystem resilience, food security and diversity, and risk minimization. Although potentially less important in the short term, biodiversity, encompassing variation from within species to across landscapes, may be crucial for the longer-term resilience of ecosystem functions and the services that they underpin. Accordingly, in this research, the methods employed by local farmers to increase biodiversity were investigated. Materials and Methods In order to evaluate the usefulness of indigenous knowledge for assessing trends in biodiversity, a case study was undertaken in two counties, Sheshtamad and Sabzevar, in Razavi Khorasan province. This involved the use of participatory rural appraisal (PRA) techniques, including semi-structured interviews and transect walks. To study local methods employed by farmers, 453 farmers were interviewed and questions were asked to the farmers about the number of crop species and the amount of use of methods to increase biodiversity such as rotation, fallow, mixed cropping, etc. Results and Discussion The results showed that agricultural systems in these areas have shifted from livelihood systems to market-based systems. Local farmers in these areas used a variety of methods such as using different crops from different families, intercropping, rotation, fallow, seed exchange, integration of livestock with cropping and horticulture to increase diversity in their farms. The main common products in these two cities were plants such as wheat, barley, cotton, alfalfa and pistachios. Most of the plants used in the cultivation pattern of farmers in these cities were related to plant families such as Poaceae, Fabaceae, Malvaceae, Asteraceae, Cucurbitaceae, Amaranthaceae and Rosaceae, which had a different contribution in the cultivation pattern of the studied villages. There was a significant difference between the villages, districts and two counties in terms of the plant species and plant families used. In all the studied villages, farmers employed more than one method to increase the diversity of their farms. The fosterage of livestock and horticulture plus to cropping in these agroecosystems led to greater economic security for farmers, in particular in adverse weather conditions. In general, the results showed that rural development has led to a reduction in the use of traditional knowledge/local methods only in limited cases, and the employing of local methods in some cases has increased the net income of farmers from wheat farming systems. Conclusion The results approved that the farmers in these areas used different crops from different families and groups and also used methods such as intercropping, rotation, integration of livestock with cropping, fallow and seed exchange to increase the biodiversity in the three levels of species, function and ecosystem in the agroecosystems of these regions. Increasing biodiversity in agroecosystems is very important and significant issue, especially in arid and semiarid areas, because improved biodiversity in these areas can increase food and economic security to some extent. Diversification could become an essential tool for sustaining production and ecosystem services in croplands, rangelands and production forests.