East & Central Asia project briefs Distribution of ‘lapsi’ in the Himalayas

Choerospondias axillaris, locally and colloquially known as ‘lapsi’, has long been cultivated in hilly agroforestry systems for its fruit, fodder and market value. This project is to reveal the spatial distribution of this in the Himalayas.

Lapsi is a very valuable species to agroforestry systems in the Himalayan region: its fruit is nutritious and sold at about the same price as the on the Nepalese market. Micro-entrepreneurs pickle and candy its fruit, the sales of which sustain the livelihoods of a large number of people in the Himalayas. Currently, not enough is known about how changing bioclimatic conditions will impact the distribution and productivity of the tree, hampering its promotion as an agroforestry tree species.

Knowing more about the distribution and productivity of lapsi can help promote lapsi-based agroforestry and scientifically explore suitable locations to it. This will in turn have direct impacts on the livelihoods of many people in the hilly regions of the Himalayas and on their environment. As this species is representative for other valuable cash crops, this knowledge can help develop agricultural adaptation policy for this highly sensitive region.

Using a model that projects impacts of bioclimatic conditions on the distribution and producitivty of this valuable tree crop, our research will identify climatically and biophysically suitable zones for lapsi plantations in current as well as future climate scenarios. This will help policymakers to recommend suitable zones to promote this species, and it will help farmers to plant it in suitable locations. A dedicated knowledge platform should Dr Sailesh Ranjitkar World Agroforestry Centre ECA improve understanding of the impacts of climate change on high-value cash crops in the Himalayas. In addition, c/o Kunming Institute of Botany the project will also help to identify seed sources in order 650204 Kunming, Yunnan, China to preserve germplasm. Tel: +86 871 6522 3014 Email: [email protected] July 2015 – www.worldagroforestry.org/eca – [email protected] July 2015 – www.worldagroforestry.org/eca 东亚中亚区域办公室项目简介 “南酸枣” 喜马拉雅山区农民的宝贝 世界农用林业中心

南酸枣酸甜可口、市场价值高，长期种植于丘陵山区。本项目旨在模拟分析该 树种在喜马拉雅山地区的分布及其对气候变化的响应。

南酸枣，尼泊尔农民称之为“拉皮思 (Lapsi)”，因其果实酸甜可口、市场价值高，在 南亚市场上的销售价格与蜜橘不相上下，是穷人 的“宝贝树”。小型企业和家庭作坊将果实经糖 煮制作加工后再进行销售，很多山区农民以此为 生。但是人们对生物气候条件的改变将如何影响 这种树的分布和产量知之甚少，这也妨碍了南酸 枣树作为农用林业树种的种植推广。

了解更多关于南酸枣的分布和产量的知识， 可以帮助推广以南酸枣为基础的农用林业的发 展，并科学地探索适合南酸枣种植的地区。这将 反过来直接影响喜马拉雅山区农民的生活水平及 其居住地的生态环境。南酸枣作为一种典型的经 济作物，增加对它的了解可以帮助改进生态脆弱 山区的农业生产对气候变化的适应性策略。

我们研究生物气候条件对南酸枣这种高价值 木本作物的分布和产量的影响，并建立模型，评 估现在及未来的气候条件下适宜南酸枣种植的区 域。这将帮助决策者和推广者选择适宜种植区来 Sailesh Ranjitkar，博士 推广这个树种。此外，本项目建立的专业知识创 世界农用林业中心东亚中亚区域办公室 新平台，不仅可以提高我们气候变化对喜马拉雅 中国科学院昆明植物研究所 山区木本经济作物影响的认识；而且将有助于确 中国云南省昆明市 - 邮编 650204 电话 +86 871 6522 3014 定种子资源以保存优良种质。 邮箱 [email protected]