Invitation to Contribute a Review/Research Article: Special Issue on "Hill and Mountain Agriculture"

2025-06-23

Greetings from the Indian Journal of Soil Conservation (IJSC).

The Indian Journal of Soil Conservation is pleased to announce a forthcoming Special Issue on “Hill and Mountain Agriculture”, aimed at bringing together contemporary research and insights to address the complex challenges and opportunities in these ecologically sensitive and strategically important regions. The Hill and Mountain Agro-ecosystems are faced with the growing vulnerability and challenges from climate change, land degradation and socio-economic pressures towards viability and sustainability. Whereas, it also offers unique opportunities in environment, biodiversity and the ecosystems services. Hence, this special issue is considered both timely and significant. I have been entrusted with the responsibility of serving as Lead Editor for this  Special Issue on Hill and Mountain Agriculture.

I request upon all the conservation professionals and experts, to join together in this Endeavour

towards viable and sustainable environment.  

May I kindly request you to confirm your willingness to contribute by July 5th , 2025. The deadline for manuscript submission is July 25th , 2025. Submissions must conform to the IJSC author guidelines as enclosed, and be emailed to me at [email protected] with a copy to [email protected].

All submissions will undergo peer review for possible refinement and will be published in the special issue scheduled for August 31st, 2025. We are confident that your contribution will add substantial value to the scientific discourse on the sustainable development of hill and mountain agriculture.

We look forward to your kind confirmation and scholarly input.

With warm regards,
Yours sincerely,
Dr. Anil K Srivastva
Lead Editor
Indian Journal of Soil Conservation

 

PROPOSED OUTLINE FOR IJSC SPECIAL ISSUE ON HILL AND MOUNTAIN AGRICULTURE

 

PROPOSED TITLE:

Farming the Slopes: Advancing Innovation and Sustainability in Hill and Mountain Agriculture

 

THEME AREAS:

For a comprehensive coverage of the theme area, we may include the following topics:

1.Agroecological Characterization of Hill and Mountain Agroecosystems: Research article or a review of previous efforts to characterize agroecological diversity, land use capability, altitudinal gradients, slope, aspect, and vulnerability to climate and erosion, establishing a scientific basis for tailored solutions. This theme examines factors that shape land capability, determine cropping systems, and affect agronomic risk, especially in regions vulnerable to erosion, landslides, or drought; at the same time, it identifies situational exclusivity and highlights a niche for high-value crops.

  1. Traditional Knowledge and Indigenous Farming Practices: Current status of documentation and evaluation of age-old practices, which have relevance in today's scenario, such as terracing, jhum, bamboo drip irrigation, mixed cropping, and their scope for blending with modern techniques.
  2. Soil Erosion Dynamics and Landscape Restoration: Assessment of erosion rates (e.g., via RUSLE, RS-GIS), and best practices in physical, biological, and community-based erosion control, including success stories.
  3. Integrated Watershed Management in Hilly Areas: Evaluation of watershed programs in steep terrain; convergence with MGNREGA and forest-based institutions; current challenges.
  4. Tree-Based and Agroforestry Systems for Sloping Lands: Diversified tree-crop-livestock systems for erosion control, livelihoods, and carbon sequestration; performance of species like Grewia, Leucaena, and Quercus. This theme should also examine the unique opportunities that arise from the situational exclusivity of mountain agroecosystems, including:
  • High-value niche production systems (e.g., saffron, kiwifruit, sea buckthorn, black cardamom, orchids, temperate apple)
  • Medicinal and aromatic plant cultivation
  • Organic and low-input farming models
  • Integrated farming systems tailored to steep gradients and smallholdings (crop-livestock, agroforestry, MAPs, and apiary linkages)
  • Animal-based systems like yak, mithun, sheep, and hill poultry
  1. Climate-Responsive Hill Farming Systems: Emerging climate challenges for hill regions,adaptive cropping strategies, early warning systems, resilient cultivars, and seasonal forecasting for slope agriculture under shifting climate regimes.
  2. Innovations in Mechanization for Fragmented Hill Terrains: Farm tools and light machinery suited for small plots, rugged terrain, and women-friendly operations. Focus on local adaptation and co-design.
  3. Horticultural Diversification and Value Chains: Fruit crops, medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs), and off-season vegetables as viable alternatives to traditional crops; focus on aggregation and market linkages.
  4. Water Resource Management and Spring Rejuvenation: Conservation hydrology, spring-shed management, traditional water systems revival, and micro-irrigation interventions tailored to upland ecologies.

 

  1. Youth, Women, and Migration Dynamics in Mountain Farming: Role of youth-led startups, feminization of agriculture, livelihood shifts, and migration as socio-economic drivers in hill regions, tourism-agriculture interfaces (eco-tourism, agritourism).

 

  1. Institutional Models and Policy Innovations: Decentralized governance (e.g., Van Panchayats, JFM), land tenure, local planning, and policy frameworks enabling sustainable hill development.

 

  1. In addition, the esteemed authors are also invited to submit the articles relevant to the theme as deemed suitable.

 

PREFERRED ARTICLE TYPES:

    • Review articles
    • Original research papers
    • Practice-based case studies
    • Policy briefs
    • Opinions or Youth perspectives (1–2 short submissions)