Biodiversity in agricultural and food systems of jhum landscape in the West Garo Hills, North-eastern India.

ABSTRACT: Jhum is a swidden agriculture agroforestry system indigenous to India. It enriches crop diversity and dietary diversity, helping to ensure food security and nutrition. However, jhum is now being rapidly abandoned in favour of intensive agriculture, often involving monoculture. Such changes in land use are a major threat to local food security. Based on a survey of 97 households in four villages of the West Garo Hills in the state of Meghalaya in north-eastern India, jhum and the corresponding food diversity (as maintained by the Garo indigenous communities) were examined. We used a mixed-methods approach to quantify the contribution to dietary diversity, and food and nutritional security. The jhum system of farming comprised of 39 crops and four indigenous breed

SUBMITTER: Pandey DK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8761519 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature