Crop diversity in the home gardens of the Kumaun region of central Himalaya, India
2004
Agnihotri, R.K. (G. B. Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development, Almora (India)) | Sharma, S. | Joshi, M. | Palni, L.M.S.
Home gardens have been described as living genebanks in which a variety of germplasm, in the form of indigenous varieties, landraces and rare species, thrives side by side and has been preserved through generations. Home gardens are found in traditional communities all over the world and are an important component of subsistence living, a cash resource and a repository for uncommon species and varieties of plants, characterized by a mixture of annual or perennial species grown in association. In the Indian Himalayan region, with the exception perhaps of northeastern parts, little attention has been paid to this aspect of the indigenous system of biodiversity management. Home gardens spread over different landforms (Tarai, Bhabar, Siwaliks and Lesser Himalaya) of the Kumaun region in the Indian Central Himalaya were sampled for species diversity, variability and composition. The process by which the home gardens in a village evolve and change was also discussed. This study revealed that small land units (home gardens) in the villages contribute significantly to maintaining the native germplasm as well as to the introduction of species from other regions. Although historically home gardens have received little appreciation, they constitute a part of the traditional resource management strategies that have evolved, and have recently been emphasized as highly productive and largely sustainable agroecosystems. The study of home gardens could be used as a tool to develop methodologies for the application of traditional knowledge in the conservation and management of biodiversity, as well as for community development
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