Traditional Rice Landraces of District Bageshwar, Uttarakhand and their Conservation

Farmers select varieties to suit their environmental, socio-economic and ethnic needs The selection criteria and naming of folk varieties is based on certain desirable characteristics. Adoptability of these landraces to specific micro- niches provide the subsistence to the communities living in the remote areas of hilly region. In the present article, the importance of traditional rice landraces for sustainable development and their on-farm conservation by the farmers in district Bageshwar of Uttarakhand is discussed.