118
T. Das and A. K. Das
managers and conservers of rice diversity with reports ranging from 38 to 25 rice varieties reported from different case studies of which records of traditional rice varieties
ranged from 31 to 20. Traditional homegardens which are also an important ethnic
agro-ecosystem of northeast India also play an important role in the conservation
of agrobiodiversity in the region. Several varieties of fruits, vegetables, medicinal
and aromatic plants are conserved in the homegardens of the region. Also there are
few reports of wild plant diversity conservation in the homegardens which also have
implications for the conservation of underutilized, wild and rare species in the face of
the erosion of such species from the adjacent natural forests. However some problems
such as land fragmentation, absence of labour, low economic incentives, low return
from both the traditional rice farming and homegarden agroecosystem are resulting
in a lower diversity of ‘landraces’ or ‘indigenous’ varieties. In view of the potential
agrobiodiversity in the northeastern region it is essential to properly document them
along with the socio-cultural practices and knowledge associated with them before
they are lost to the conversion to modern agriculture or urbanization.
Keywords Biodiversity · Plant diversity · Traditional homegardens · Rice
farming · Farmers’ varieties · Wild diversity
1 Introduction
Agricultural biodiversity, also known as Agrobiodiversity, is a broad term that
includes all components of biological diversity of relevance to food and agriculture,
and all components of biological diversity that constitute the agricultural ecosystems, also named agro-ecosystems: the variety and variability of animals, plants and
micro-organisms, at the genetic, species and ecosystem levels, which are necessary
to sustain key functions of the agro-ecosystem, its structure and processes (COP
decision V/5, appendix). Agrobiodiversity or agricultural biodiversity has become a
major issue in the past few years in light of the growing rate of biological diversity
loss and habitat destruction. The increasing population pressure and the advent of the
Green Revolution in the mid 1960s are some of the factors that have contributed to this
unprecedented erosion of diversity. The concept of Agrobiodiversity first emerged in
1996 after the “Leipzig Declaration” of the Fourth International Conference on Plant
Genetic Resources convened by FAO in Leipzig, Germany. Subsequently in the COP
decisions iii/11; the CBD gave specific recognition to Agrobiodiversity (FAO 1998).
Agrobiodiversity or agricultural biodiversity is a fundamental feature of farming systems around the world which also includes habitats and species outside of farming
systems that benefit agriculture (Thrupp 1997). Agricultural biodiversity is essential
to the world for the following functions:
• sustainable production of food and other agricultural products, including providing
the building blocks for the evolution or deliberate breeding of useful new crop
varieties;
T. Das and A. K. Das
managers and conservers of rice diversity with reports ranging from 38 to 25 rice varieties reported from different case studies of which records of traditional rice varieties
ranged from 31 to 20. Traditional homegardens which are also an important ethnic
agro-ecosystem of northeast India also play an important role in the conservation
of agrobiodiversity in the region. Several varieties of fruits, vegetables, medicinal
and aromatic plants are conserved in the homegardens of the region. Also there are
few reports of wild plant diversity conservation in the homegardens which also have
implications for the conservation of underutilized, wild and rare species in the face of
the erosion of such species from the adjacent natural forests. However some problems
such as land fragmentation, absence of labour, low economic incentives, low return
from both the traditional rice farming and homegarden agroecosystem are resulting
in a lower diversity of ‘landraces’ or ‘indigenous’ varieties. In view of the potential
agrobiodiversity in the northeastern region it is essential to properly document them
along with the socio-cultural practices and knowledge associated with them before
they are lost to the conversion to modern agriculture or urbanization.
Keywords Biodiversity · Plant diversity · Traditional homegardens · Rice
farming · Farmers’ varieties · Wild diversity
1 Introduction
Agricultural biodiversity, also known as Agrobiodiversity, is a broad term that
includes all components of biological diversity of relevance to food and agriculture,
and all components of biological diversity that constitute the agricultural ecosystems, also named agro-ecosystems: the variety and variability of animals, plants and
micro-organisms, at the genetic, species and ecosystem levels, which are necessary
to sustain key functions of the agro-ecosystem, its structure and processes (COP
decision V/5, appendix). Agrobiodiversity or agricultural biodiversity has become a
major issue in the past few years in light of the growing rate of biological diversity
loss and habitat destruction. The increasing population pressure and the advent of the
Green Revolution in the mid 1960s are some of the factors that have contributed to this
unprecedented erosion of diversity. The concept of Agrobiodiversity first emerged in
1996 after the “Leipzig Declaration” of the Fourth International Conference on Plant
Genetic Resources convened by FAO in Leipzig, Germany. Subsequently in the COP
decisions iii/11; the CBD gave specific recognition to Agrobiodiversity (FAO 1998).
Agrobiodiversity or agricultural biodiversity is a fundamental feature of farming systems around the world which also includes habitats and species outside of farming
systems that benefit agriculture (Thrupp 1997). Agricultural biodiversity is essential
to the world for the following functions:
• sustainable production of food and other agricultural products, including providing
the building blocks for the evolution or deliberate breeding of useful new crop
varieties;