Traditional Homestead Agroforestry Systems in a Floodplain Village of The Brahmaputra Valley, Assam: Characteristics and Functions

Authors

  • Sourav Saha Research Scholar, Department of Geography, Gauhati University, Guwahati - 14
  • N. Deka Assistant Professor, Department of Geography, Gauhati University, Guwahati - 14
  • A. K. Bhagabati Professor, Department of Geography, Gauhati University, Guwahati - 14

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.25175/jrd/2021/v40/i3/142500

Keywords:

Homestead Agroforestry Systems, Floodplain Village, Brahmaputra Valley.

Abstract

The traditional homestead agroforestry is an age-old resource management practice used by different ethnic communities living in the Brahmaputra Valley, Assam. The homestead gardens possess rich plant diversity and play a significant role in biodiversity conservation in the rural areas and thus, notably contribute towards rural food security, household economy, livelihoods and sustainability of the local ecosystems of the Valley. But, the plant diversity and productivity of the homestead agroforestry in the Valley have been deteriorating in recent times mainly due to floods, threats posed by squirrels and monkeys, and the overall negligence of rural people towards such practices. Thus, the status of plant and animal species and the nature of land use within the homesteads have been changing significantly. The change is accelerated by factors like growing population pressure, and changing behaviour and perception of the villagers under the influence of modernisation and urbanisation. The present study examines the characteristics of the homestead agroforestry systems and their ecological and economic functions in Jatia Bhangra, a floodplain village in Kamrup district of Assam.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Published

2022-02-28

How to Cite

Saha, S., Deka, N., & Bhagabati, A. K. (2022). Traditional Homestead Agroforestry Systems in a Floodplain Village of The Brahmaputra Valley, Assam: Characteristics and Functions. Journal of Rural Development, 40(3), 404–423. https://doi.org/10.25175/jrd/2021/v40/i3/142500

Author Biography

Sourav Saha, Research Scholar, Department of Geography, Gauhati University, Guwahati - 14

DEPT. OF GEOGRAPHY, RESEARCH SCHOLAR

References

Bargali, K. (2016). Traditional Home Gardens As a Sustainable Ecosystem for Maintenance of Biodiversity: A Case Study from Kumaun Himalaya, India, Journal of Biodiversity, 7(2), 88-100.

Bargali K., Karki H., Vibhuti and Bargali S. S. (2018). Contribution of Homegarden Agroforestry in Livelihood of Rural Farmers in Kumaun Himalaya. Bionature, 38(1), 34-47.

Chambers, R. (1990). Microenvironment unobserved in R.P Singh (Ed.) Proceedings of the International Symposium on Natural Resource Management in a Sustainable Agriculture, New Delhi, Vol.2, Indian Society of Agronomy.

Das, T. and Das, A. K. (2005). Inventorying Plant Biodiversity in Home Gardens: A Case Study in Barak Valley, Assam, North East India, Current Science, 89(1),155-163.

Das, T. and Das, A. K. (2020). Agrobiodiversity in Northeast India: A Review of the Prospects of Agrobiodiversity Management in the Traditional Rice Fields and Home Gardens of the Region. In: N. Roy, S.. Roy Choudhury, S. Nautiyal, $.K, Agarwal and S. Baksi (Eds.) Socio-economic and Eco-biological Dimensions in Resource use and Conservation (pp. 117-134). Springer, Cham.

Deka, N. (2012). Agro-ecosystems in the Brahmaputra_ Valley, Assam: Dynamics and Sustainability, Unpublished Ph.D thesis, Gauhati University, India.

Deka, N., Bhagabati, A. K., and Ando, K. (2011). Floral Resources in a Village Environment of the Brahmaputra Valley, Assam: Inventory, Use and Conservation, Journal of Agroforestry and Environment, 5, 75-82.

Deka, N., Bhagabati, A. K. and Ando, K. (2011). Rural land use in Brahmaputra Floodplain Environment, Assam: A Case Study of Muktapur Village, Contemporary India, 1, 177-193.

Deka, N. and Bhagabati, A. K. (2018). Ecology and Economy of Home Gardens in a Village Environment of the Brahmaputra Valley, Assam, National Geographical Journal of India, 64(1-2), 155-165.

Ferdous, Z., Datta, A., Anal, A. K., Anwar, M., and Khan, A. M. R (2016). Development of Home Garden Model for Year-round Production and Consumption for Improving Resource-Poor Household Food Security in Bangladesh, NJAS-Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences, 78, 103-110.

Gajaseni, J. and Gajaseni, N. (1999). Ecological Rationalities of the Traditional Homegarden System in the Chao Phraya Basin, Thailand, Agroforestry Systems, 46(1), 3-23.

Galhena, D. H., Freed, R. and Maredia, K. M. (2013). Home Gardens:: A Promising Approach to Enhance Household Food Security and Wellbeing, Agriculture & Food Security, 2(1), 8.

George, M. V. and Christopher, G. (2020). Structure, Diversity and Utilization of Plant Species in Tribal Home Gardens of Kerala, India. Agroforestry Systems, 94(1), 297-307.

Kehlenbeck, K., Arifin, H. S., and Maass, B. L. (2007), Plant Diversity in Home Gardens in a SocioEconomic and Agro-ecological Context in Tscharntke, T, Leuschner, C, Zeller, M, Guhardja, E and Bidin A (eds.), Stability of Tropical Rainforest Margins, (295-317), Berlin, Heidelberg-Springer.

Kumar, B. M. & Nair, P. R. (2004), The Enigma of Tropical Home Gardens, Agroforestry Systems, 61(1-3), 135-152.

Kumar, B. M. & Nair, P. K. R. (2006). Tropical Home Gardens: A Time-test Example of Sustainable Agroforestry, Dordrecht, Netherland-Springer.

Kumar, V. and Tiwari, A. (2017). Importance of Tropical Home Gardens Agroforestry System, International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Science, 6(9), 1002-1019.

Maroyi, A. (2009). Traditional Home Gardens and Rural Livelihoods in Nhema, Zimbabwe: A Sustainable Agroforestry System, International Journal of Sustainable Development and World Ecology 16 (1), 1-8.

Millat-e-Mustafa, M. Teklehaimanot, Z., Haruni, A. K. O. (2002). Traditional Use of Perennial Homestead Garden Plants in Bangladesh. Forests Trees Livelihoods, 12: 235-256.

Muhammed, N., Masum, M. F.H., Hossain, M. M., Chakma S, and Oesten, G. (2013). Economic Dependence of Rural People on Homestead Forestry in Mymensingh, Bangladesh, Journal of Forestry Research, 24(3), 591-597.

Muhammed, N., Masum, M. F. H., Hossain, M. M., Chakma, S., Oesten, G. and Detten, R. V. (2011). Floral Composition and Biodiversity Conservation in Homestead Forests in Mymensingh, Bangladesh, International Journal of Biodiversity Science, Ecosystem Services & Management, 7 (4), 247-257.

Ogundiran, O. A., Monde, N., Agholor, I., and Odeyemi, A. S. (2014). The Role of Home Gardens in Household Food Security in Eastern Cape: A Case Study of Three Villages in Nkonkobe Municipality. Journal of Agricultural Science, 6(1), 129-136.

Patric, A., Raj, A. K., Kunhamu, T. K., Jamaludheen, V., and Santhoshkumar, A. V. (2020). Productivity of Tree Fodder Banks in a Typical Homegarden of Central Kerala. Indian Journal of Agroforestry, 22(1), 17-23.

Peyre, A., Guidal, A., Wiersum, K. F., and Bongers, F. J. J. M. (2006). Dynamics of Homegarden Structure and Function in Kerala, India, Agroforestry Systems, 66(2), 101-115.

Rahaman, M. M., Haider, M. Z., & Chakraborty, M. (2015). Contribution of Home Garden to Household Economy in Rural Areas of Bangladesh. Asia-Pacific Journal of Rural Development, 25(1), 49-60.

Saha, S. and Deka, N. (2017). Diversity and Dynamics of Rural Landscapes in the Brahmaputra Floodplain, Assam, In: V. P. Sati, K.C. Lalmalsawmzauva, (eds.), Natural Resource Management for Sustainable Development and Rural Livelihoods, (1253-1265), New Delhi- Today and Tomorrow’s Printers and Publishers.

Saha, S. and Deka, N. (2018). Evolution of Landscape in a Floodplain Village of the Brahmaputra Valley, Assam, Indian Journal of Landscape Systems and Ecological Studies, 41(1), 120-132 Saikia, A. (2011). Forest and Ecological History of Assam, 1826-2000, New Delhi, Oxford University Press.

Singh, A. P. (2019). Traditional Home Gardens: Enhancing Food Security and Livelihood in North East India. In: R.K. Naresh(Ed.) Research Trends in Agricultural Sciences, Vol.15 AkiNik Publications, 59-72.

Talukder, A., Kiess, L., Hug, N., De, P. S., Darnton, H. |., and Bloem, M. W. (2000). Increasing the Production and Consumption of Vitamin A-Rich Fruits and Vegetables: Lessons Learned in Taking the Bangladesh Homestead Gardening Programme to a National Scale, Food and Nutrition Bulletin, 21(2), 165-172.

Tadele, M., Birhane, E., Kidu, G., G-Wahid, H. and Rannestad, M. M. (2020). Contribution of Parkland Agroforestry in Meeting Fuel Wood Demand in the Dry Lands of Tigray, Ethiopia. Journal of Sustainable Forestry, 3%8) 841-853.

Vibhuti, K. B. and Bargali, S. (2019). Species Composition, Diversity and Traditional Uses of Homegarden in Kumaun Himalaya, India. Indian Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 89(9), 14151418.

Wiersum, K. F. (2006). Diversity and Change in Homegarden Cultivation in Indonesia, In: B. M. Kumar and P. K. R. Nair (eds.) Tropical Home gardens: A Time-Tested Example of Sustainable Agroforestry (13-24), Dordrecht, Springer.