Our Correspondent
Kohima | March 26
About 61% of the total households of the state practice shifting cultivation in about 1.00 lakh hectare of land annually thereby exposing about 5.65% of the total geographical area of the state to soil erosion hazards.
At this rate, it is estimated that over 70% of soil depletion, degradation of land and deterioration of water resources are due to extensive practice of shifting cultivation, without proper conservation measures, according to the annual administrative report 2015-16 of the soil & water conservation department 2015-16 tabled in the recently concluded assembly session here.
The net result is, the report stated, low level of agricultural production per unit area with farmers remaining the poorest of the poor among the society and the vital land and its natural resources in peril.
The report stated that jhuming is one of the key drivers of degradation of forest ecosystem in Nagaland, and also often the most suitable form of agriculture for the agro-climatic condition and steep terrain cultivation like Nagaland. However, in recent years, due to shortening of jhum cycle which is insufficient for regeneration, the yield has been successively declined over time and families that were once secure for food now cannot meet their requirements.
In this respect, a Sustainable Land and Eco System management in shifting cultivations area of Nagaland for livelihood and ecological security, has been formulated with the goal to maintain ecosystem services while also meeting livelihood needs.
“It is introducing participatory planning process and is prioritizing activities identified through the involvement of the entire community in the development of community resource management plans which reflect more productive and sustainable use of available resources,” the report stated adding that the project is contributing to the overall goal of the SLEM programme, that is, “to promote sustainable land management and use of biodiversity as well as maintain capacity of ecosystems to deliver goods and service while taking account of climate change.”
Specially, the project envisage to develop, demonstrate and upscale sustainable land management practices for the conservation of jhum land in Nagaland through an ecosystem approach providing policy, regulatory interventions, adopting sustainable jhum cultivation and enhancing capacity of stakeholders to replicate the lessons in the neighboring states. The project is a state initiated project in collaboration with the UNDP country office, New Delhi.
The report stated that the Government of Nagaland has sanctioned Rs. 450.00 lakhs as co-finance to support a follow up on phase of the project providing much needed funds to consolidate experiences to data and plan for future replication during 2015-16.
