Nagaland to boost management of natural resource base

GUWAHATI, April 5: A 6 million Nagaland Environment Protection and Economic Development Project (NEPED) jointly funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) through the India-Canada Environment Facility and International Development Research Centre (IDRC) is likely to boost up sustainable management of the natural resource base of the state for the benefit of the people. The NEPED project which is coordinated by the New Delhi office of IDRC under its South Asia Research Programme has been identified as a special project in India. The Government of Nagaland is the implementing agency of this project. The project is a capacity building exercise that involves villagers. Nagaland villagers traditionally practise the complex form of shifting cultivation called jhumming where up to 60 crops are planted in a field at one time. Economic changes and rapid population growth rate have shortened the fallow period, resulting in lower productivity and crop yields, alarming deforestation, and a degradation of traditional upland agriculture. To solve the problem, researchers proposed that villagers can adapt traditional practices by using soil conserving land shaping methods and planting local tree species that have the potential to raise incomes and help improve soil quality during the fallow periods. Practices of jhum cultivation among the hill tribes in the region is 9000 years old and has shaped the sociocultural patterns, traditions, customs and belief of the hill tribes of the region. It is still an integral part of culture and lore of more than 80 per cent of the trial population who are still associated with traditional jhum cultivation. The ethnicity of a hill tribe is solely bounded by the jhum cycle. The jhum calendar has regulated the religion and cultural institutions of the tribal societies. But economic changes and rapid population growth have shortened the fallow period, resulting in lower productivity and crop yields, accelerated deforestation and degradation of traditional upland agriculture. Experts feel that the villagers can adapt traditional practices by using soil conserving land shaping methods and planting local tree species that have the potential to raise incomes and help improve soil quality during the fallow periods. The NEPED project is aimed at a capacity building exercise that involves villagers. The IDRC has been supporting research and development activities programme in South Asia over the past 26 years. It has an extensive research and networking experience, a broad pool of human resources and proximity and growing access to information technology. The research activities are guided by IDRC's Corporate Program Framework (CPF) and target specific development problems addressed by the centre's programme initiatives. IDRC's New Delhi office is based on six broad themes which include bio-diversity conservation, use of information and communication strategies and policies for healthy societies. The South Asian research program of the centre reflects the desire of most national governments to lessen their economic dependence on their natural bio-diversity and human resources. It aims to promote conservation and sustainable use of plant bio-diversity to improve the quality of life for the poor and disadvantaged groups especially women and children. Current activities supported by the IDRC's New Delhi office include: the sustainable and equitable conservation of forest bio-diversity, structural adjustment and improve governance issues, the transfer of appropriate technologies, improved human nutrition and health programs, and empowerment of the most disadvantaged communities. Though the people living on the hills in Northeast have been traditionally practising jhum cultivation, permanent cultivation in the form of either horticulture or wet rice cultivation in the terraces or plains of the foothills of Northeastern states is also gaining popularity in the region. Wet rice cultivation is now being practised about 85 per cent of the marginal farmers of Angami Nagas and other tribes like the Dimasas, Karbis, Nishings, Mishmis, Khasis, Garos, Aos, Reangs, Jamatias, Thadous, Rongmeis, Lais and Maras.