Development of Climate Resilient Integrated Farming System in Himalaya: An Illustration of Women Centric Adaptive Headwater Management Approach

Subsistence agriculture serves as the primary source of food and livelihood in the Indian Himalayan Region (IHR). Climate change, along with natural disasters exacerbated by these climatic shifts, is altering the environmental conditions necessary for food production in the IHR, thereby impacting the productivity of agricultural resources and livelihood opportunities. These alterations are heightening the vulnerability of large populations, especially the poor and marginalized, to food, nutrition, and livelihood insecurity. Nevertheless, by leveraging both the biophysical strengths and the socio- cultural capital inherent in the mountain ecosystem, integrated farming systems could significantly contribute to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly the goal of ‘Zero Hunger,’ by promoting sustained agricultural productivity in the face of climate change and extreme weather events. This paper develops an integrated farming framework based on agro- climatic diversity across the mountain transect, with a case study focused on the Kosi Headwater in the Kumaon Himalaya region of India. The study seeks to integrate diversified mountain production systems and conservation practices, including agriculture, horticulture, floriculture, dairying, forestry, and water conservation at the watershed level. The findings suggest that an integrated farming system has the potential to enhance the adaptive capacity of local communities, particularly women, in response to climate change and natural disasters through sustained food production.