The traditional mountain agro-ecosystems, crops and varieties are the results of farmer's experience and knowledge that they have gained through centuries. The changes we brought in the traditional agriculture through modern and intensive agriculture have no doubt enhanced food production and crops productivity but at the same time resulted in the genetic erosion of large number of traditional crops and varieties. The recently emerging issues like food security and changes in weather patterns have threatened the modern agricultural systems in various ways, thus need to revive the traditional agroecosystems has been felt at various levels. The diverse agro-ecological conditions of mountains support heterogeneous environments which help in supporting variety of agro-ecosystems. These traditional agroecosystems including crops, varieties and even animals are adapted to harsh environments and have potential to mitigate the negative impacts of climate change. It is further argued that food security depends significantly on production in more industrial agriculture; it is relevant to note the important contribution of agricultural biodiversity to global food production and to sustainable livelihoods is more on traditional agricultural systems. It is therefore inappropriate to promote large-scale abandonment of biodiverse agriculture and to marginalize it in intensive production systems.
Himalaya, agro-ecosystems, forgotten crops, food security, climate change
