Agroforestry and Horticulture in North East India: A hot spot

Horticulture and agroforestry systems are gaining much attention in view of rapidly expanding population and habitat fragmentation. At the outset it is worth to mention that North East India being an integral part of an Indo-Burma hotspot harbours immense diversity prevailing in agroforestry systems and home of horticulture crops including vegetables. First chapter deals with introduction to agroforestry and horticulture with special reference to North East India; its status and advances. The chapter deals with multipurpose trees (MPTs) and their role in agroforestry systems. Chapter 2 deals with pros and cons of Traditional Agriculture (Shifting cultivation) in North East India and Agroforestry Implications in handling various sustainability issues. Further, case study on ethnoecology of Apatanis of Arunachal Pradesh is mentioned. In chapter 3 ethnobotany of Bamboos and Canes (Rattans) is described and overviewed. Further, ethnobotany of useful horticulture plants serving multifaceted purposes including ethnomedicine e.g. serving as edible fruits/plants or vegetables, oil producing plants, dye producing plants and plants used for preparation of wine and pickles are described.