Northeast India’s traditional vegetables could hold the key to making Indian agriculture more resilient to climate change, according to a new study published in the journal Discover Plants. Authored by R. Ramesh Babu, S.P.
Gautham Suresh, D.C. Manjunatha Gowda, N. Pradeep Kumara, and Vadde Mounika, the study describes the Northeast as a global biodiversity hotspot and a treasure trove of vegetable genetic diversity, harbouring crops that have adapted over centuries to acidic soils, drought stress, rugged mountain landscapes, and low-input farming systems.
The region occupies only about 7.7 per cent of the country’s geographical area, but it harbours more than half of India’s biodiversity. The study argues that these underutilised crops could become increasingly important as climate change places growing pressure on conventional agriculture. Among the indigenous vegetables are King Chilli (Bhut Jolokia), tree bean (Parkia roxburghii), winged bean, velvet bean, colocasia, wild yams, bamboo shoots, and a variety of leafy vegetables, which are valued not only as food but also for their medicinal properties and their ability to thrive in challenging conditions.
These traditional vegetables represent a valuable reservoir of genes that could help breeders develop future crop varieties resistant to diseases, insect pests, and environmental stress. Their ability to survive in hilly terrain, drought-prone environments, and highly acidic soils makes them particularly relevant as farmers across India face increasing climate uncertainty. Researchers say many of these crops are effectively living libraries of climate-adaptive traits.
However, many of these genetic resources are quietly disappearing due to shortening jhum cycles, soil degradation, changing agricultural practices, and the growing dominance of a handful of commercial vegetable crops. The study highlights the importance of conserving crop diversity and promoting sustainable and climate-smart farming practices in the region. It also draws attention to the role of indigenous knowledge in conserving crop diversity and the potential for organic agriculture in the Northeast.
The average vegetable productivity in the region remains just 10.51 tonnes per hectare, well below the national average of 17.97 tonnes per hectare. Infrastructure remains a major challenge, with poor road connectivity, lack of cold storage facilities, weak supply chains, and limited access to scientific inputs making it difficult for farmers to conserve, exchange, and commercialise traditional crops. The authors argue that conserving this diversity will require a combination of traditional ecological knowledge and modern science, and call for greater investment in gene banks, molecular characterisation of crop diversity, improved seed systems, participatory breeding programmes, and stronger market support for indigenous vegetables.
With climate change expected to intensify droughts, floods, pest outbreaks, and other agricultural challenges, the study suggests that some of the solutions may already exist in the fields and forests of Northeast India. The researchers conclude that Northeast India has the potential to become a green reserve for the country, and that realising that potential will require stronger conservation efforts, improved infrastructure and seed systems, and a blend of indigenous knowledge and scientific innovation to transform the region into a climate-resilient and sustainable vegetable-producing hub.
