Our Correspondent Kohima | May 4 Fallow is necessary for continuous and successful jhum cultivation. It allows natural regeneration and succession, allows the soil to replenish its natural fertility through litter decomposition, organic matter decomposition and nutrient recycling. This was stated in the annual administrative report 2015-16 of the state’s agriculture department. The report stated that the soils of Nagaland are relatively less fertile and prone to erosion. The farmers are therefore heavily dependent on the ecological processes and thus with the incorporation of trees like Alder trees in their jhum lands before the field is left fallow.
