Dimapur, Jan. 29 (EMN): As part of the National Adaptation Fund on Climate Change (NAFCC) programme, a project called “Gene pool conversation of indigenous rice varieties under traditional integrated rotational farming system for promoting livelihood and food security as Climate Change adaptation strategy in Nagaland,” is being implemented in five districts.
The activities under this scheme are being implemented in a project that is considered a ‘convergence’ programme. An assessment of climate change dynamics related to agriculture suggests that three key features characterise a climate- smart landscape: Climate-smart practices at the field and farm scale, diversity of land users across the landscape to contribute to resilience, and management of land use interactions.
Therefore, for agricultural systems to achieve climate-smart objectives including improved food security, rural livelihoods and climate change adaptation and mitigation, it is imperative to take up an integrated landscape management approach.
The department of Information and Public Relations (IPR) submitted a feature on Wednesday stating some of the imperatives of economics, interventions and impact in the area of shifting cultivation in Nagaland.
According to the IPR, the departments envisage taking up challenges in its vision 2030 by outsourcing the role of soil and water conservation measures in climate-smart highland agriculture in collaboration with agriculture and allied departments under the aegis of the NAFFC.
Interventions
The work components in soil and water conservation interventions in this project include contour bunding, contour trenching, loose boulder check dams, land levelling and bench terraces, plantation of area specific tree species, application of manure, and vermi composting. There are also jhum sanitation measures such as construction of toilets in jhum areas. Another is agro-forestry which is regeneration of forest in fallow lands.
Changing cropping pattern, erratic rainfall, raising temperature, natural calamities, remoteness, lack of health care facilities, lack of awareness, low income, difficulties in communication and transportation and undulant topography are the major constraints and impact faced by the local farming communities with regard to risks from Climate Change.
Moreover, many have considered jhum cultivation a primitive and unsustainable cultivation that cause irreparable damage to soil health.
With an aim to sustain the cycle of rotations and in line with adaptation measures against Climate Change, jhum fields have been converted into semi-permanent cultivation minimum up to three years through improvisations and by integrating soil and water conservation measures. The measures include gap-filling of multi-purpose trees ie., tree bean, application of vermicompost for growing winter vegetable crops, facilitating water conservation and it’s judicious use; increase in cropping pattern, proper sanitation, checking soil erosion, and nutrient management.
Economics
Jhum cultivation is the highest employment sector in Nagaland. The amount of resources that are put into the sector defeats outcome in terms of economic returns, which is much, much lesser than the wages of migrant labours.
The lack of subsistence agriculture has led to mass migration of the farming community to the urban areas both in the state as well as to outside the state, resulting in the reduction of areas of cultivation. There is a need for a dedicated policy and agency to rejuvenate traditional cultivation to retrieve and blend traditional indigenous knowledge with modern technologies.
With active involvement of the farming communities and implementing agencies, they are now equipped to adapt with the climate change as the vulnerability and risk has been drastically brought down to minimum.
On-farm demonstrations and capacity building help them to rely on themselves for livelihood, and to adapt to climate change at the grassroots level. All the crops are grown and maintained organically, which yield fresh and high-grade organic produce. They are the future food of the planet.
Key takeaway
• Involving stakeholders for successful implementation of the project through local governance of village councils.
• Educating through field demonstrations and capacity building.
• Active participation of farmers to harness their ideas and improvise to new innovative technologies.
• Collecting adequate information and, accordingly, planning it through GIS platforms.
• Sustaining traditional rotational farming to semi-permanent cultivation, minimum up to three years for cultivation, prolonging the cycle and addressing Climate Change issues.
• Improving the living standards and health; addressing the livelihood of marginal farmers and also to overcome vulnerabilities and risks of climate change.
• Promoting organic produce and marketing.
Source: Soil & Water Conservation, Land Resources and Agriculture department.