Hill agroforestry systems in south Sikkim,India

In the Mamlay watershed of south Sikkim, India, about 80% of the population depend on land for their livelihood. The agricultural land-use activity includes agroforestry, horticulture and animal husbandry besides growing crops in irrigated or unirrigated fields. Trees are maintained in the farms mainly for fodder and rarely for fuel purposes. Cropping system is characterised by cultivation of cereals and cash crops to ensure supply of food grains and returns for daily needs. This paper presents data on crop production and farm management aspects including the linkages among tree-crop-animal components of a hill agriculture system. Crop diversity is high and crop combinations are fixed and well tested. Unpalatable grasses are used for composting by mixing with cow dung to meet high demand for manure and thus exhibit efficient recycling of plant material. The system is at low input level, and is therefore adopted by even the poorest section of society. Limited infrastructure facilities, sloping terrain, inaccessibility to most agricultural zone, depletion of natural resources from forests, water scarcity during lean period and heavy rainfall during monsoon, and erosion are, the main constraints which need to be improved through research using scientific means.