Organic Approaches for Preserving Soil Health in the Mountainous Agro-Ecosystem of Nepal: A Review

Organic systems emerged as a remedial practice to the overuse of synthetic agrochemicals in the aftermath of the Green Revolution. The devastating consequences of agrochemicals on soil health, microbial ecology and the environment triggered the need for conservative methods of agriculture in the long term. This review aims to explore the challenges, feasible approaches and benefits of preserving soil health over the mountainous agro-ecosystem of Nepal. It suggests the benefits of applying organic approaches like composting, green manuring, biofertilizers, reduced tillage, cover cropping, mulching and agroforestry to preserve soil health for agriculture over the mountains. The fragile terrain and annual monsoon precipitation cause soil degradation, affecting soil properties, microbiomes, vegetation, forest components and biodiversity over the region. These methods are proven to be supportive of erosion control, water retention, emissions reduction, biodiversity conservation, lowering chemical dependency and sustainable farming. Hence, this review, based on extensive studies, provides valuable information on preserving the soil health and agricultural ecosystem in the mountainous part of Nepal, thus bolstering the farming conditions contributing to the livelihoods of farmers and agrobiodiversity preservation.