Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 18
Values and Services of Nitrogen-Fixing Alder
Based Cardamom Agroforestry Systems
in the Eastern Himalayas
E. Sharma
1
*, R. Sharma
1
, G. Sharma
2
, S.C. Rai
3
, P. Sharma
4
, and N. Chettri
1
Abstract
Recent challenges for sustainable development are linked to large-scale
land use transition and its impact on forest-dependent populations. Alternatively,
agroforestry practices offer multiple opportunities to farmers to improve farm pro-
duction and incomes; they also result in productive and protective forests functions.
Large cardamom (
Amomum subulatum
) cultivation with N
2
-fixing Himalayan alder
(
Alnus nepalensis
) as a shade tree in the Eastern Himalayas is one such alternative
agroforestry practice. Performances were analyzed for cardamom agroforestry
with
N
2
-fixing alder (alder-cardamom),
without
alder (forest-cardamom), and with an age
series of alder-cardamom between 5 to 40 years. Alder tree association accelerates
the cycling of both nitrogen and phosphorus, and more than doubles production and
yield. While increasing soil fertility, alder-cardamom agroforestry also conserves
soil and water, and sequesters atmospheric carbon. This leads to ecological sustain-
ability in mountain watersheds. It also provides a high aesthetic value and draws
upon cultural, recreational and educational values that are harnessed by local com-
munities as non-farming employment opportunities in ecotourism. Ecosystem serv-
ices provided by cardamom agroforestry contribute to the well being of the upland
people and at the same time profit the beneficiaries downstream.
Keywords
Alnus nepalensis
,
Amomum subulatum
, biodiversity, nutrient cycling,
carbon flux, ecosystem services
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