What question did this study set out to answer?

To explore the contribution of indigenous agroforestry systems to food security through agrobiodiversity assessment.

January 15, 2026

Role of agrobiodiversity in indigenous homegarden agroforestry systems of the eastern himalayas in enhancing food security

RSRashmita SharmaJawaharlal Nehru University UMUsha MinaJawaharlal Nehru University ADAshalata W DeviTezpur University

Key Points

To explore the contribution of indigenous agroforestry systems to food security through agrobiodiversity assessment.
Examined homegarden agroforestry systems in four socio ecological zones.
Conducted agrobiodiversity inventorying using direct counting in 192 homegardens.
Collected data on food security indicators including Food Consumption Score and Body Mass Index.
Applied regression models to analyze relationships between agrobiodiversity and food security.
Found significant association between agrobiodiversity and food security indicators.
Shannon Diversity Index recorded an average of 1.38, while Livestock Diversity Index was 0.69.
Regression models suggested a modest impact of agrobiodiversity on food consumption scores.
Household income and education had a greater contribution to food security than agrobiodiversity alone.

Abstract

Indigenous agroforestry systems play a key role in conserving agrobiodiversity, yet their contribution to food security remains underexplored. This study examines traditional homegarden (HG) agroforestry systems situated across four prominent socio ecological zones (SEZs) in the foothills of the eastern Himalayas of Assam. Agrobiodiversity inventorying using direct counting method was done in 192 homegardens situated in 16 different villages (i.e. four in each SEZ). The primary agrobiodiversity indicators i.e. Shannon Diversity Index (SDI) and Livestock Diversity Index (LDI) were 1.38 ± 0. 57 and 0.69 ± 0.72, respectively. The data on food security indicators Food Consumption Score (FCS), Household Dietary Diversity Score (HDDS), Body Mass Index (BMI) was collected by the questionnaire and anthropometric measurements from the same households from which agrobiodiversity data was collected. The observed average values of FCS, HDDS and BMI were (64.76 ± 16.75), (5.99 ± 1.77), and (20.70 ± 4.01) respectively. Four regression models (Ordinary least square, Quantile, Probit, and Poisson) were then applied to analyse relation between agrobiodiversity (SDI, LDI) and food security. Regression models revealed a modest but significant association with food security, particularly food consumption score (R2 = 0.12 with SDI, R2 = 0.11 with LDI). The impact was more significant among nutritionally and economically marginalized (Q 0.25) households across SEZs. However, household income, ethnicity, and women’s education, showed a greater overall contribution to the food security of the households (R2 = 0.652). These findings highlight that while agrobiodiversity contributes to improved food consumption patterns, it is not a sole determinant of household food security. Strategies including diverse cropping, intercropping, and multilayered planting can enhance the role of HGs, particularly for vulnerable communities who find it difficult to afford nutritious food from market. Coupled with nutritional training, and livelihood enrichment, HG agroforestry has the potential to strengthen both food security and environmental sustainability.

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Cite This Study

Sharma et al. (Thu,) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/69683e135818e7dbd7c6324b https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/s10457-025-01429-9

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