Jhum in Focus
Two Naga women are seen here tending to their jhum field in Mokokchung. Jhum cultivation is often misperceived as a redundant form of agriculture and criticized for its slash-and-burn practice.…
Reframing the Narrative Around Jhum Cultivation
In recent years, shifting cultivation or jhum has often been viewed through a lens of environmental concern and developmental urgency. It is regularly blamed for deforestation, soil degradation, and low…
When ‘Luchii’ Holds No Meaning
December, known as “Luchii” in the Ao Naga language, traditionally signifies the month for clearing forests to prepare jhum fields. Historically, December was a time when entire villages would clear…
Rethinking Jhum: Naga researcher highlights its role in biodiversity and food security
“If a good climate condition is defined by good forests and environment, it is ultimately determined by biodiversity—and shifting cultivation promotes biodiversity,” says Athong Makury, a Naga researcher at the…
A Case for Supporting Jhum Cultivation
Shifting cultivation, or Jhum, has long been the cornerstone of Naga agricultural practices, yet it continues to face undue criticism, largely rooted in outdated perceptions and misleading narratives. After being…
Sustainable Agriculture
IPlant diversity is essential for sustainable agriculture, particularly in the fight against climate change. Its benefits go far beyond aesthetics, playing a crucial role in carbon sequestration and soil health.…
Analyze, Not Demonize, Jhum Cultivation
The age-old practice of shifting cultivation, also known as ‘Jhum’, has been a cornerstone of indigenous Naga communities. While often criticized as a “destructive” agricultural method, it is imperative to…
Celebrating Coffee Success, While Nurturing Tradition
The news of Nagaland’s resurgent coffee industry fills us with optimism. The government’s ambitious plan to blanket 50,000 hectares with coffee cultivation by 2030 is a commendable bid to empower…
Harvesting Legacy: Seed preservation and storage among the Ao and Sümi Naga | Rongsenzulu Jamir, Alino Sumi – Down To Earth
In the early 1920s, a famine gripped Longkong village in eastern Nagaland. The farmers of this village, inhabited by the Ao Naga community, were unable to cultivate any crop one…
Divisional Management Unit Inspects Progress at Nagaland Forest Management Project’s Plantation Sites in Mokokchung District
Mokokchung, 19 September (MTNews): The Divisional Management Unit (DMU) of Mokokchung Forest Division of the Nagaland Forest Management Project (NFMP), an externally aided project assisted by the Japan International Cooperation…