1. Agro-Ecological Zones in India

High Land Region

Among the cultivated fodders, the production of alfa-alfa is more dependable. Apple and apricot are the major fruit crops grown in the area. Among the livestock, mule dominates, while sheep, goat and yak stand next in order. This zone is known for grazing (by pashmina goats).

High land area also includes the eastern Himalayan agro-ecoregion encompassing northern hilly parts of West Bengal, northern parts of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim States. It occupies an area of 9.6 m ha, representing 2.9 per cent of the total geographical area of the country. The climate of the region is characterized by warm summer and cool winter. The annual rainfall is 2000 mm.

High land region also comprises western Himalayas, covers Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and north-western hilly areas of Uttar Pradesh.

In general, Jhum cultivation is the traditional farming. It is practiced with mixed cropping on the steep slopes under rainfed condition at an interval of 3-4 years. Another type of traditional practice is the cultivation of millets on upland terraces and potato, maize, millets and paddy in valleys. In the lower valleys, rice, maize, millets, potato, sweet potato, mustard, sesame and pulses are grown under rainfed as well as irrigated conditions. At places cotton, mesta and sugarcane are also grown both under rainfed and irrigated conditions. In the hilly areas, vegetables and plantation crops like tea, and medicinal plants, and horticultural crops like pineapple, citrus fruits, apple, peer, peach, and banana are grown on terraces. The natural vegetation comprises subtropical pine forest and temperate wet evergreen forests, subalpine forest, etc.

Constraints

•  Severe climatic conditions restrict the choice of crops.
•  Steeply sloping landforms encourage heavy runoff resulting in severe erosion hazards.
•  Deforestation for shifting cultivation leads to severe soil degradation problem.
•  High rainfall leading to intense leaching results in soils with poor base status.
•  Excessive moisture leading to water stagnation in valleys during (post) monsoon period limits the choice of crop.
•  Low temperature during post-monsoon period limits the cultivation of second arable crops. Monocropping is therefore commonly practiced in these regions.[1]

Effect of Climate Change on the region

The metrological department suggests that the average temperature of Kashmir has gone up by 1.45 degrees Celsius over the last two decades, while in the southern plains the temperature rise is 2.32 degrees Celsius. Deficit in food production in Kashmir region has reached 40 per cent from 23 per cent in 1980-81. As more and more paddy land is changed into rain-fed orchards, Kashmir's current 40 per cent food grain deficit is likely to touch over 60 per cent in the coming 10 years if the current rate of change is taken into account.
 
Drying up rivers, vanishing glaciers and falling food production in Kashmir corroborate the direct predictions about the effects of climate change. [2]
 
Rising temperature is changing the climate and the lives of the people in the villages of Tehri Garhwal. Vijay Jardhari has a vague idea that "greenhouse gas" means pollution. And, he probably contributes towards easing the effects of pollution by preserving the forest in his village. Yet, he bears the brunt of its impact every day. Jardhari can explain how the warming climate is changing the delicate ecology of the Himalayas better than many scientists.
 
For instance, the summer monsoon is acting up. Normally, the region gets rain in August and September. But erratic monsoons have affected both kharif (monsoon) and rabi (winter) crops. "The rains are never on time " when you need it, there is no sign of rain. And, when it should be dry, there is a downpour. This destroys the crops. Moreover, if it does not rain properly, the land becomes too dry for the rabi crop, so that suffers too,- says Jardhari. Further up the Himalayas, in Mustik Saund village near Uttarkashi, people express the same worries. [3]
 
Hilly areas are more suitable for forestation than agriculture; growing farming activities are ruining the ecology of this region resulting in land erosion. The land is suitable to grow apples. Oak tree is also grown in such climate. People in Jardhargoan at present grow 40 different kinds of crops including vegetables, potatoes, herbs and medicinal plants. Crops fail due to the uncertainty of rains. The springs in the region are drying up making farming a highly risky profession. [4] [5]

[5] Himalayan ecology by Soni Sinha. Sahara Times, 16 Sep 2007