A Jhum field near Merangkong Village under Mokokchung district in Nagaland. The sowing season for Jhum fields are usually done during the month of February and March. Due to its topography, the Annual Administrative Report 2015-16 of the Soil & Water Conservation Department informed that about 61% of the total households practice shifting cultivation in Nagaland. In recent years, nearly 20% of the total Net Cropped Area of 3.84 lakhs hectares has been brought been under irrigation. According to the Nagaland Economic Survey 2015-16, Agriculture is the largest employer of the workforce and still continues to be the indispensable source of livelihood for the people, though the employment in this sectors has decline significantly from 96.5 per cent during 1950s to 60 per cent by 2013. Agriculture and Allied Sector contributed 29.74% to Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) in 2015-16. (Morung Photo)
