Shifting cultivations

1. Shifting cultivations is still practiced in North Eastern Hill Region. In this system, crops are generally grown on a piece of land by the cultivators (jhumias) only once. After crop harvest, the cultivators (Jhumias) move to a new land, thus left the land fallow for 10 to 15 years.
2. But today of rapid increasing in human population along with decrease in land. Cultivators (Jhumias) should reduce the shifting cycle leading to destruction of:

Ø  Forest wealth

Ø  Loss of soil cover

Ø  Siltation of reservoirs/ rivers resulting floods in the plains.

Thus this system of cultivation is now considered to be unscientific.

3. Shifting cultivation not only losses the fallow land but also have many unfavourable circumstance disadvantages which effect the human kind:

Ø  Environmental Effect

Ø  Deforestation

Ø  Soil Erosion

Ø  Loss of Biodiversity

Ø  Pollution of coastal waters

4. The problem generated from Jhum Cultivation are:

Ø  Climate

Ø  Slash and Burn

Ø  Harm to Indigenous Plants

Ø  Loss of habitat for Animals

So, we need to protect and conserve the natural forest and wild life.

5. Shifting Cultivation are seen as tradition- bound by peasant and small farmers, trapped by ignorance and unable to manage their resources properly.

Ø  The current practice of shifting cultivation in Eastern and Northeastern region of India is an extravagant wasteful of several plot lands and unscientific form of land use.

Ø  Its evil effect are devastating, destructive and far-reaching in degrading (humiliating) the environment and ecology of the regions.

6. The earlier 10 to 15 yrs cycle of shifting cultivation on a particular land has reduced to 2 to 3 yrs now. This has resulted in

Ø  Large Scale Deforestation

Ø  Soil and Nutrient Loss

Ø  Invasion by weeds and other Species

The indigenous biodiversity has been affected to a large extent.

7. The Tripura Forest Minister Jitendra chowdhury has expressed deep concern over degradation of forest land due to Jhum Cultivation.
8. In 1990, studies by the World Bank and the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation blamed Shifting cultivation for the forest loss due to Shifting Cultivation.
9. Many NGO’s against for the country’s devastating fires, to those reckless Shifting cultivators of large-scale plantation.

Ø  About 45% of tropical agriculture area in the world is under shifting cultivation.

Ø  One third (1/3) of agriculture in South East Asia constitutes in Shifting Cultivation.

Ø  60% of Africa’s food is also produced through Shifting Cultivation.

Ø  The actual area affected by Shifting Cultivation was highest in Manipur at 77.4%

Ø  Arunachal 12.4%

Ø  Assam rank Fifth (5^th) with 74.1%

It was not only economically unviable in present world but also a major threat to the biodiversity and contributor to Shifting Cultivation which lead to deforestation.

Therefore we should put an end to shifting cultivation for a better environment.

 

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