Studies on importance of taruls for livelihood security of rural populace in Sikkim

Sikkim is small state and divided into four districts, viz., North, South, East and West. The populace of Sikkim comprises of 14 hill tribes and many plains-men communities. taruls are minor crops and cultivated mostly on marginal and uncultivable areas. taruls are the underground plant parts (root and tubers) which are generally consumed after steaming and commonly used as traditional staple food by the rural populace of Sikkim. taruls are well adapted to unique hill ecosystems and mostly cultivated, traded and consumed locally. By conducting extensive surveys in villages, local markets, on-spot observations and discussions with elderly and experienced farmer's information regarding the production and local uses of taruls has been documented in this paper.