Assessing sustainability of farming systems in mountain agroecosystems of Western Himalaya, India

Energy and monetary efficiencies at the different altitudinal agroecosystems in central Himalaya, India

“…(2015) reported the annual farmyard manure energy input as 81905.79 M J ha −1 yr −1 for agroforestry systems and 53723 M J ha −1 yr −1 for home garden systems among different land use systems of Central Himalaya. Similar studies on energetics of different land use systems of the Central Himalaya have also reported farmyard manure as the major contributor of input energy ( Bisht et al., 2021 ; Kumar, 2011 ; Negi et al., 2018 ; Padalia et al., 2018 ; Ralhan et al., 1991 ).…”

“…Irrespective of size classes, seasons and altitudes, fertilizers (organic/inorganic) and seed input together shared >50% of the total input energy. According to Negi et al. (2018) , the major energy inputs in the Himalayan agroecosystem are related to human and bullock labour and application of farm yard manure (FYM).…”

“…These findings are in line with earlier studies reporting relatively higher application of farmyard manure in high altitude agroecosystems than low altitude farms ( Bagwari and Todaria 2011 ; Kumar, 2011 ). Forests and agroecosystems of Himalayan region share close linkages, and the later are primarily sustained by nutrients derived from forests in the form of vegetative materials (fodder and bedding leaves) and animal wastes ( Negi et al., 2018 ). Livestock serve as a connecting link between forests and food production systems by recycling and/or transferring nutrients through forest to the croplands ( Padalia et al., 2018 ).…”

“…Here farmers extensively perform agricultural operations with various labour input and provide output in the form of agronomic yield and associated by-products ( Kumar, 2011 ). Land holdings in these regions are small and fragmented on small terraces of steep slopes with limited irrigation facilities, particularly in hilly regions ( Negi et al., 2018 ). Inconsistency associated with precipitation regimes, availability of resources, accessibility to agricultural fields, different cropping systems and land use patterns significantly affects energy flow of agroecosystems across the regions.…”

Scientific Appraisal and Therapeutic Properties of Plants Utilized for Veterinary Care in Poonch District of Jammu and Kashmir, India

“…According to the WHO report (2018), 66% of India’s population resides in rural areas with a large dependency on agriculture. In the Himalayan region, the rearing of animals to supplement the family income and sustain crop production constitutes an important component of the rural economy of the region [ 8 , 9 , 10 ]. In the mixed crop–livestock farming systems, livestock and food production systems are closely integrated in the Himalaya [ 11 ].…”