Shifting Cultivation in North-East India: Growth and Progress

The agricultural production systems in the hilly areas differ from the plough cultivation in the plain areas. The term shifting cultivation refers to a certain method of farming. In this particular method, land is widely used to cultivate crops for a few years, then allowed to lie fallow for several years after which it is reused again. Shifting cultivation is said to be one of the unsustainable land uses contributing significantly to environmental degradation. Across South and Southeast Asia, a large number of people depend fully or partly on shifting cultivation for their livelihood and food security. In the Himalayan region of the north east, the agricultural practice of shifting cultivation also known as jhum cultivation or rotational agro-forestry, prevalent since prehistoric times, is being carried out by traditional tribal societies even today. The objective of this paper is to study the growth and progress of shifting cultivations in North-Eastern India.