Exploring the scenario of natural farming and food system in the North Eastern Hill Region of India: an introspective study

Abstract

The agricultural practices in India's North Eastern hill region (NEHR) align with the philosophy of natural farming, which emphasizes working in harmony with natural cycles and processes of the natural world. Farmers in the region follow the traditional agriculture practices based on indigenous technical knowledge (ITK), these practices align with the attributes of natural farming such as; no-tillage, intercropping, mulching, crop rotation, no use of agrochemicals, functional biodiversity, crop diversity etc. evolved through experience and experiments by ancestors. As the indigenous communities habituated in the region have historically relied on natural resources, their food systems have been centred around forest-based resources, which include a wide variety of wild species. Therefore, this study endeavors to provide a comprehensive overview of the scenario of natural farming and food systems in NEHR. Further, it suggests assessing natural farming in the context of NEHR while taking food systems into consideration, along with the documentation of both cultivated and collected wild foods of significance.