Chümoukedima, June 29 (MExN): The International University Nagaland has launched a state-wide research initiative titled "Ecological Modernization of Traditional Jhum Cultivation" to address environmental degradation while preserving Nagaland's traditional shifting cultivation practices.
According to the University, the project seeks to balance the state's tribal agricultural heritage with environmental conservation by developing scientific and sustainable alternatives to reduce deforestation, habitat fragmentation and topsoil erosion associated with shortened jhum cycles.
According to the university, traditional slash-and-burn farming, locally known as jhum cultivation, has long been central to the socio-economic and cultural life of the Naga people. However, land rotation cycles have reportedly reduced from around 15 years to three to five years due to population growth, changing weather patterns and shifting land-use priorities, resulting in soil nutrient depletion, severe topsoil erosion during the monsoon and declining crop yields.
To address these challenges, an interdisciplinary research team has proposed a hybrid agroforestry model that integrates high-value perennial cash crops such as organic ginger, premium cardamom, black pepper and indigenous medicinal herbs with native nitrogen-fixing tree species. The model aims to stabilise vulnerable hill slopes while enabling farmers to obtain continuous harvests from the same land without clearing new forest areas through burning.
In a joint statement, Registrar Dr Roopam Bachhil and Director of the Academic Staff College Prof Zavise Rume described the initiative as a significant shift in regional agricultural research.
"Our goal is not to force our farmers to completely abandon their ancestral practices, but to empower them with scientific innovations that protect our state's incredible biodiversity," Bachhil said.
He said the university had allocated specialised funding, modern equipment and laboratory facilities to monitor changes in soil chemistry and crop productivity, with the objective of helping indigenous farmers transition from subsistence agriculture to sustainable agricultural entrepreneurship.
Prof Rume said the Academic Staff College would convert the research findings into practical training modules for educators, extension workers and community leaders.
He said the university would organise intensive training programmes for agricultural faculty and extension personnel to work with village councils and student volunteers across Nagaland. The initiative, he added, would combine traditional ecological knowledge with modern agroforestry practices to support rural communities, prevent environmental degradation and improve farmers' economic prospects.
The university said the project is expected to produce a scalable agricultural framework that will be submitted to the Nagaland Department of Agriculture as a policy model aimed at increasing rural household incomes, reducing topsoil loss and restoring degraded forest cover.
Field trials are scheduled to begin during the current monsoon season in selected pilot villages across multiple districts, with community leaders, farming cooperatives and youth organisations participating in data collection, soil health monitoring and long-term land management.
The university said the initiative reflects its commitment to sustainable development through research that addresses environmental and livelihood challenges.
