1st Edition
Revitalizing Hill and Mountain Agroecosystems Landscapes An Interdisciplinary Perspective
Chapter 1. Introduction and Overview
Dinesh K. Marothia and H.R. Sharma
Chapter 2. Biodiversity and Climate Change in the Hindu Kush Himalaya
Eklabya Sharma
Chapter 3. Future of Natural Resource Management in the Western Himalayas
Rajan Kotru
Chapter 4. The Ecological Pyramids of Mountain Agriculture: Farming for Health, Wealth, and Happiness in the Pristine Himalayas
Vir Singh
Chapter 5. Rituals of Mountain Communities in the Bhutan Himalayan Region for Livelihood Sustainability
Phanchung
Chapter 6. Status, Emerging Challenges, and Perspectives in Hills and Mountains: The Case of Northern Luzon, Philippines
Zenaida Gutay Baoanan
Chapter 7. Sacred Groves in Indian Highlands: Biodiversity, Ecological Significance, and Sustainable Management
Sharat Kumar Palita and Debabrata Panda
Chapter 8. Managing Change in Shifting Cultivation Areas: Management Imperatives for Climate Action and Agenda 2030
Dhrupad Choudhury
Chapter 9. Ecosystem Restoration and Nature-Based Solutions for Sustainable Agricultural Production in the North-Eastern Hill Region
Indira Sarangthem, Shravan M. Haldhar, and Lokesh K. Mishra
Chapter 10. Aravalli’s Overused Resources: A Looming Threat to India’s Oldest Mountains
M.S. Rathore
Chapter 11. Ecosystem Services in the Western Ghats for Meeting Sustainable Development Goals: Challenges and Pathways
C. Ramasamy and V. Saravanakumar
Chapter 12. Sustainable Landscape and Ecosystem Governance in Odisha’s Eastern Ghats: Insights from a Community-Based Approach
Krishnakumar K. Navaladi, Chittaranjan Mishra, and Atul Jindal
Chapter 13. Poverty and Food Security in the Hindu Kush Himalayan Region: Regional Experiences and Learnings
Golam Rasul and Apsara Karki Nepal
Chapter 14. State of the Himalayan Farmers’ Livelihoods and Farm Economy
Tej Partap
Chapter 15. Shifting Grounds below Himalayan Rural Agricultural Livelihoods
Malavika Chauhan
Chapter 16. Farming in Hill and Mountain Ecosystems: Evidence from Sri Lanka
Ganganee Chandima Samaraweera
Chapter 17. Agricultural Development in Mountainous States of India: Patterns, Sources and Determinants
H.R. Sharma, Shakir Hussain Malik, and Rajeev Sharma
Chapter 18. Causal Links between Structural Change and Economic Growth in the Hilly Region of North East India
Anjoo Yumnam, N. Uttam Singh, Aniruddha Roy, Laitonjam Nivetina, Pampi Paul, Kamni K. Biam, Chikkathimme H.R. Gowda, and Nivedita Deka
Chapter 19. Impact of MGNREGA on Assets Creation, Household Income, and Food Security: Evidence from Meghalaya
Baiarbor Nongbri, Ram Singh, and S.M. Feroze
Chapter 20. Towards New Frontiers: The Evolution of Research, Policy, and Governance
Vir Singh and Dinesh K. Marothia
Biography
Dinesh K. Marothia, Ph.D. (University of Alberta, Canadian Commonwealth Fellow), is a distinguished agricultural and natural resource economist with over four decades of pioneering contributions to academia, public policy, and international development. He currently serves as President of the Indian Society of Agricultural Economics (ISAE) and is a member of the Technical Advisory Board of the Global EverGreening Alliance—an international platform focused on restoring South Asia.
He was the Founding Professor and Head of India’s first academic Department of Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics at IGAU, Raipur, and held key academic leadership roles including Dean of Student Welfare and Dean of Dairy Technology. He has led interdisciplinary research initiatives supported by global organizations. He also served as Decentralization Expert and Team Leader for the European Commission’s SPP-Chhattisgarh-India and as Senior Fellow at the World Agroforestry Centre-South Asia Region.
He has played a critical role in national policy-making as Chairman of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (GoI), Member of the Chhattisgarh State Planning Commission, and contributor to various committees of the former Planning Commission of India. He is the Founder Director of the India Natural Resource Economics and Management Foundation and served two terms as President of the National Institute of Ecology, New Delhi.
His influential publications include Natural Resource Economics (co-edited, Oxford IBH, 1997), Institutionalizing Common Pool Resources (Concept, 2002), and Multiuse Wetlands Governance (Routledge, 2024). Widely traveled and published, he is a strong advocate for interdisciplinary, ecosystem-based approaches to resource governance and sustainability.
Prem Chand, Agricultural Economist by specialization, is currently Member (Official) of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP), Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India, on deputation since March 2025. He has been serving the Indian Council of Agricultural Research since April 2009. As a senior scientist at ICAR-National Institute of Agricultural Economics since April 2017, he has handled a number of research projects in the areas of policy research related to sustainable agriculture, agrobiodiversity, agroforestry, and land use planning. Before joining ICAR-National Institute of Agricultural Economics in April 2017, Dr. Chand served ICAR-Agricultural Technology Application Research Institute (ATARI) in Jabalpur for more than 7 years. During this period, he made substantial contributions to the frontline agricultural extension system.
He graduated in agriculture and completed his postgraduate studies in agricultural economics from Swami Keshwanand Rajasthan Agricultural University, Bikaner, and holds a doctorate in dairy economics from the ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute in Karnal.
He has authored 3 policy papers, 3 policy briefs, 8 books/development reports/conference proceedings, more than 50 research papers published in both national and international journals, 25 book chapters, and a number of general and opinion articles in leading newspapers and magazines. He has received prestigious awards, such as the Young Agricultural Economist Award from the Agricultural Economics Research Association, R T Doshi Award, Prof. N A Majumdar Award, and recognition by the government of Madhya Pradesh and National Academy of Agricultural Sciences, New Delhi.
Kamal Vatta is a professor in the Department of Economics and Sociology at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana. He holds a Ph.D. in agricultural economics from PAU and has received advanced training from Columbia University, New York, and the International Center for Development Oriented Research in Agriculture (ICRA), Wageningen, the Netherlands. His work focuses on agricultural marketing, policy, rural livelihoods, and natural resource management.
He has served in various academic and leadership positions, including Head of Department and Founder Director of the Agricultural Marketing Innovations, Research and Intelligence Centre (AMIRIC). He also served as Director of the Centers for International Projects Trust (CIPT), affiliated with Columbia University, where he led research and outreach in several Indian states as well as Bhutan and Myanmar.
He has led 35 externally funded research projects supported by agencies such as USAID, IDRC, UNEP, and ICAR. He has authored 93 research papers, more than 75 technical and impact assessment reports, and an edited book. He has taught undergraduate and postgraduate courses and guided several M.Sc. and Ph.D. students, along with international research fellows.
He has contributed to institutional development through the establishment of a data analytics lab, digitization of archival datasets, and initiation of large-scale field surveys. He has organized and participated in numerous national and international academic events and maintains active collaborations with institutions such as Kobe University and Columbia University, focusing on sustainability, crop diversification, groundwater management, and agri-market transitions.
“Mountains nourish us all—the source of mighty yet fragile rivers, sustainable local livelihoods, timeless cultures, and the call of the wild. From the broadest perspectives to the minutest observations enriched with intelligence and vision, this volume represents the state-of-the-art of hill and mountain science—a must-read for experts, students, decision-makers, and the informed public concerned with preserving the future of mountains while there is still time”.
—Christopher Scott, Goddard Chair and Professor, Pennsylvania State University,
USA, Mountain Chair, Himalayan University Consortium, ICIMOD, Nepal, Senior
Fulbright Fellow, Argentine Institute for Snow, Glaciology, and Environmental Science
“Revitalizing Hill and Mountain Agroecosystems Landscapes: An Interdisciplinary Perspective is a timely and critical exploration of the fragile yet vital ecosystems of the hilly and mountainous landscapes. As climate change intensifies and sustainable development becomes urgent, this book offers a comprehensive analysis of biodiversity, traditional knowledge, resource management, and policy challenges across the different areas of Hindu Kush Himalaya and other mountain regions. By integrating ecological, socio-economic, and governance perspectives, it presents actionable insights for revitalizing these landscapes to improve food security, people’s livelihoods and sustainability of rural development. With case studies from Bhutan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and India, this volume is an essential resource for policymakers, researchers, and practitioners working toward resilience, food security, and sustainability in vulnerable agroecosystems”.
—Pema Gyamtsho, Director General, International Centre for Integrated
Mountain Development (ICIMOD), Kathmandu, Nepal“Viewed through a global sustainability lens, mountains provide most of the world’s freshwater, harbor a quarter of terrestrial biodiversity, contain nearly a quarter of global forests, and sustain 15% of humanity—yet they remain highly vulnerable to climate change, unsustainable land use, and socio-economic pressures. These global concerns are especially evident in South and Southeast Asia, home to some of the planet’s richest mountain ecosystems and cultural traditions. Revitalizing Hill and Mountain Agroecosystem Landscapes: An Interdisciplinary Perspective integrates science, traditional knowledge, and policy insights, offering a definitive scholarly reference to inform future research, policy agendas, and sustainable development pathways for resilient mountain landscapes”.
—Thomas Hofer, Formerly Team Leader, Mountain Livelihoods, Ecosystem Governance,
Global Mountain, FAO/Mountain Partnership Secretariat, Rome, Italy
