Need for technology to sustain shifting cultivation stressed

Hyderabad: V K Saraswat, member NITI Aayog, emphasised the need to adopt innovative ideas and appropriate technologies to make 'shifting cultivation' sustainable.

While addressing a three-day international symposium organised by the North Eastern Regional Centre, Guwahati, of the National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (NIRDPR-NERC) on 'Shifting Cultivation: Towards a Transformation Approach'.

The International event was organised following a report submitted by a working group led by NIRDPR-NERC to the NITI Aayog which has been accepted for implementation.

Dr W R Reddy, Director General, NIRDPR, stressed the need to quantify the extent of shifting cultivation in the North-East region, highlighting the initiatives of NERC in mapping the shifting cultivation-affected areas in the region using Geographic Information System (GIS) and Remote Sensing (RS) technologies.

Each of the four technical sessions in the symposium had thematic presentation and country wise group work. The group work was consolidated to prepare final recommendations for developing appropriate policies to enable transitioning Shifting cultivation climate resilient farming systems.

Speaking to The Hans India, NIRDPR-NERC, Guwahati, Director and Coordinator of the project, Dr R M Pant, said the growing population had increased the pressure on the land which is fixed.

It was against this backdrop the shifting cultivation, locally called a 'Jhum' cultivation, is increasingly found not sustainable. "Earlier, the fallow period in the shifting cultivation cycle was about 20 years.

But, due to the increase in the population, it has drastically come down to about 2 to 5 years. In turn, it is causing loss of forest as well as affecting the flora and fauna of the biodiversity-rich hill States," he added.

He said the Thematic Working Group on 'Shifting Cultivation: Towards a Transformation Approach' and suggested five action points.

They include consolidate the learning on the magnitude of the problem, identify viable best practices with potential for upscaling and assess institutions (formal and traditional) and need for transformation.

Also, ascertaining the extent and which 'co-benefits' could be delivered (to jhumias and State agencies) and suggest an action agenda (short-, medium-, and long- term).