Agro-horti-silviculture in hill slopes for enhanced sustained production and hill conservation

Abstract

About 85,000 hectares of cultivated area of Manipur State under the rainfed upland/hill (slope land) ecosystem have shown a continuous depletion of soil, forest/vegetation, and productivity due to surface soil erosion and narrowing of the jhum (slash-and-burn) cycle. In the dry season, germination and growth of crops are often severely affected due to moisture scarcity. Exces-sive runoff during rains causes flooding and damages whatever crops were grown in the foothills (flat land). An agro-horti-silvi-cultural farming system with several crop combinations selected by the faming community was introduced in Kairembikhok village, Waithu Hill District, of Manipur. The intervention site was about 36 ha and every household in the village participated in this endeavor. Farmers provided all the needed inputs and managed all farming operations. The project supplied only the seedlings of tree crops, which was seen as critical and was beyond the reach of individual farmers, and provided technical support for the efforts. The entire operation was designed and managed by the village community, beginning from the needs assessment to the evaluation of progress and results