Is traditional agroforestry system of Nagaland bountiful for indigenous and traditional crops species diversity?

Abstract

Sustaining natural resource base and augmenting productivity of tropical systems necessitate developing comprehensive understanding on the complex crop species diversity and their potential uses in traditional agroforestry systems. The present study attempts to quantify indigenous and traditional crop species diversity and extent of usage of wild edible plants in a traditional agro forestry (TAF) system using primary data from 90 households of Konyak Naga tribe spread across six villages of a remote district, i.e., Mon, Nagaland, North-East India. Findings reveal that the TAF system is much diversified as compared to the settled cultivation system. Apart from cereals, millets and pulses, the upland tribes grow a variety of horticultural crops on shifting cultivation (SC) land. At the aggregate level, the horticultural crops in the sampled states were observed to be much diversified and the mean diversification index value was found to be 0.79 (SID) on TAF land. The present study documented 30 indigenous and traditional crops species being cultivated and used by the Konyak Naga tribe. Their food system is further complemented with wild edible plants collected from fallow land and secondary forest. The existing diversity managed with traditional wisdom in the TAF system need to be preserved and disseminated in order to ensure the sustainability of the natural resource base.