Agriculture for the Nagas is a way of life that has shaped the culture and economy of the people. For too long though the government has not been able to give the due attention it deserved and therefore declaring 2006 as the Year of Farmers has given a huge boost to this hitherto untapped sector. More than any other profession, farming if taken up seriously has all the potential to become the most viable economic activity and a ready made solution to alleviating poverty and unemployment. Given the future prospect of agriculture as a viable business option, even the Naga youths should not remain averse to get into agriculture. The intent, of the DAN government, in declaring 2006 as the ‘Year of Farmers’ needs to be therefore welcomed by one and all. Also, the idea behind “Year of Farmers” could not have been better timed as it will now give agriculture its due place of importance in the state’s economy and improve the living condition of the farmers.
However, caution has to be maintained while undertaking development of the Agro sector. It is important not to blindly rush into development without proper environment impact assessment. For instance, it is of outmost importance to ensure that natural resources are conserved. Given the pressures of increasing population and economic development on land, water, forest and other resources, conversation efforts would have to be an inherent part of development objectives. In the context of Nagaland, traditional knowledge and practices have their own importance as they have stood the test of time and have proved to be efficacious to the local people. Some of these traditional practices in the fields of agriculture - crop production, mixed farming, water harvesting, biodiversity conservation, and forestry, to mention a few have been part and parcel of our local farmer’s knowledge and practices. Those who disseminate knowledge to farmers must give solutions that allow agriculture to develop in a sustainable manner.
More often than not, most development projects have involved the injection of technologies from outside the community. Rarely have development projects relied on indigenous technologies and on traditional knowledge of the people. Technology choice has usually been influenced by external factors such as national and state government policies and the policies of external donor agencies. In the Naga context, it will be worthwhile to mention that people have carefully observed their environment to develop their survival systems. As a result, traditional technologies and practices are usually rooted in ecological wisdom and the social traditions of local communities. It is therefore imperative to go in for suitable integration of traditional with modern technologies.
More over, the high productivity created by modern technology can be sustained only if it is based on production systems that are ecologically sound. There is, therefore, a need to integrate the best elements of modern and traditional technologies in areas like landuse, agroforestry, water conservation, etc. With the State government encouraging agro production on a commercial scale and follow up linkages to the national and international market, it is important not to put undue pressure on the resource base of the State. It is important to counter this through education and public awareness. It is also important for policy makers to promote technically sound, economically viable, environmentally non-degrading and socially acceptable use of the State’s natural resources—land, water and biodiversity to promote sustainable agriculture.
