A leisurely walk through the village lanes of rural Assam can offer many pleasant surprises to an attentive observer. Dotted along the way are homestead agroforests where households grow multi-storey mixes of seasonal fruits and vegetables, timber species, and medicinal plants—a common yet fascinating sight. Studies show that these home-garden systems are deeply embedded in the region’s economy and culture, making them viable and sustainable for generations. In this piece, we explore how practices like multi-layer cropping and agroforestry help secure sustainable livelihoods and build a cushion against economic and natural externalities.
For the longest time, the North-Eastern region of India has been predominantly dependent on agriculture for both sustenance and livelihoods. About 65% of its workforce is engaged in agriculture and allied activities, yet farming remains challenging due to the region’s difficult terrain. Across its vast stretches, agriculture has been shaped by constraints such as steep slopes, fragile soils, environmental risks, and the creativity of people who rely on local ecological knowledge to make the land productive.
Traditionally, most farmers in the region relied on single- or double-cropping systems, such as monocropping or adding a quick pulse crop to boost productivity. While these methods ensure steady seasonal harvests, they also bring insecurity due to degrading soil quality, erratic weather, and other external pressures. As a result, many farmers are either abandoning agriculture or migrating to cities, leaving the rural agro-economy in distress.
In recent years, however, communities have begun returning to their local wisdom of multilayer cropping and agroforestry models that mix trees, shrubs, herbs, and tubers to diversify produce. This not only ensures year-round food security but also cushions livelihoods against climatic shocks and allows forests to persist alongside farmlands. In addition, agroforestry systems store about 30% more carbon than traditional agricultural systems.
Multi-layer cropping is not a highly technical practice, making it easier to adopt at scale. The model is built around vertical and temporal layers. At the base are tall, widely spaced, perennial crops, followed by lower-level crops that are shade-tolerant and leafy. The middle and upper layers consist of shrubs, vines, and trees arranged vertically to maximize the use of sunlight, water, and nutrients. The benefits of this model are manifold. Farmers can use the same land parcel to produce multiple crops, leading to higher yields and greater income per unit of land. Growing different crops also ensures a steady income throughout the year with minimal maintenance costs, as resources like sunlight, water, and nutrients are shared across growth cycles. Additionally, this model reduces climate and environmental risks by diversifying crops and fostering a more resilient ecosystem that is less susceptible to external fluctuations.
For instance, the Hmar tribe practices traditional pineapple-based agroforestry in parts of southern Assam, mimicking a natural forest ecosystem by planting pineapple, areca nut, banana, papaya, lemon, guava, mango, and more together. They also grow trees like shirish (locally known as Tantari-asing) for shade, timber, medicine, and windbreaks. In North-East India, where more than 70% of people rely on farming but struggle with degraded soils from overused jhum fields, this method offers a template to convert exhausted jhum lands into vibrant multi-crop farms. In recent times, bamboo agroforestry has also been gaining traction in the region, supported by policies like the National Bamboo Mission. From Arunachal’s mountains to Meghalaya’s farmlands, communities are growing “green gold” groves alongside fruit and vegetable patches. Bamboo is harvested every three to five years for crafts, fabrics, and building materials, allowing farmers to tap into growing global demand for eco-friendly products like bamboo plates and furniture. Bamboo is also considered a major carbon sink, trapping up to 12 tons of CO₂ per hectare per year, in addition to providing critical ecosystem services such as shade, food, windbreaks, and erosion control.
Stories like that of the Hmar community show that long-term resilience can be built with the right policies and practices. These are not isolated instances of traditional agricultural systems gaining recognition and being mainstreamed. Research on land suitability and climatic conditions increasingly shows that North-East India has significant potential for integrated agroforestry practices like multilayer cropping that balance ecological restoration with livelihood security. Currently, farmers in the region face challenges due to the intermittent nature of agriculture—two or three seasonal crops followed by a lean period, which increases their vulnerabilities. With a multi-layer design, many of these dependencies can be reduced, as it guarantees frequent cash flows, lowers pressure to encroach on forests, and spreads risk more evenly. The benefits also extend to social dynamics: women, who often manage homesteads, gain greater agency over diversified produce and income streams.
However, for this approach to scale widely, action is needed at multiple levels and by diverse actors. Governments and civil society must work together to provide technical support to farmers, create financial pathways, and strengthen value chains. Promoting community nurseries or village seed banks can serve as effective channels for sharing knowledge. Post-harvest support and market linkages can ensure that seasonal surpluses translate into stable incomes. There are also strategic co-benefits ranging from carbon sequestration to pollination support, reduced erosion, and the creation of wildlife corridors. Replacing damaging practices like jhum and monocropping with resilient models such as agroforestry not only enhances food security but also contributes to local climate resilience and biodiversity conservation.
It would not be an exaggeration to call the North-East a living library of traditions and ecological knowledge. Its agronomic practices—shifting cultivation, community forests, and homegardens—have sustained societies for centuries and continue to do so. Efforts that build on these systems by blending traditional wisdom with modern science and markets are far more likely to succeed and secure livelihoods. Practices like multi-layer cropping and agroforestry go beyond boosting yields—they promote coexistence between farmers and forests, proving that food can be grown without destroying nature. As farmlands around the world face more extreme events, the layered farms of the Northeast offer a compelling blueprint for India and the world on how to cultivate abundance through complexity and ingenuity.
(The author is a social entrepreneur and Chairman of the Balipara Foundation. Balipara Foundation works closely with Eastern Himalayan communities in the areas of environmental conservation, agriculture and livelihoods.)