Jhum (shifting cultivation) has been a part of parcel of the ethnic people living in the North-Eastern states of India. Jhum has been practised by these indigenous people since ages to ensure food security. It is purely a rain-fed agricultural system and is dependent on the rains for irrigation purpose. Jhum in its earlier days also talked about food sovereignty which is still prevalent in a few areas.

This unique agricultural practice is prevalent in almost all the states in the region with mountainous terrains. Jhum can be regarded as a practice carried out in otherwise difficult hilly terrains. Over the years Jhum that has sustained has seen a sea of change in its home turf is now struggling due to low sustainability.

Thanks to climate change! Climate change through the years has spelt havoc to jhum that is considered to be the lifeline of the ethnic groups in North East India. Due to frequent loss in soil fertility, erratic rainfall regimes, the system is going through immense challenges thus leading to a decrease in agronomic yield. Today youth from the villages are going out in search of better avenues and this has brought about a drop in the number of helping hands in the fields.

Ethnic groups still keep jhum close to their heart as this age-old system binds them together through festivals and rituals associated either during sowing or harvesting.

Culturally, jhum and ethnic groups of the region can never be separated. The practice is unique, and this can be seen in terms of the diversification of crops. A jhum plot is never complete without an array of crops along with the staple crop (paddy). Jhum products are claimed to be organic by default as the farmers don’t practice chemical-based farming. It is all about hand sowing, weeding and harvesting and carried out in the hill slopes by clearing plots in the forests. The farmers shift to another plot as soon as they realize that the present plot of land has lost its fertility and it’s time to move on to the next, so the previous plot regains its fertility through the regeneration of forests. Therefore, forests are an integral part of jhum and farmers cannot cultivate unless forests are there and this is in contrary to a general statement blaming jhum farmers for destroying forests.

Of late, due to climate change, jhum has become a low productive system and farmers are seen struggling in their fields. They are fighting their way out to survive and ensure their food security and trying to adapt to the situation as they have no choice. The climate change has triggered a reduction in the numbers of years of jhum cycle which puts pressure on the ecosystem. Today, the farmers who are practising faces an immense struggle for securing food.

Farmers are known for making innovations and improvisations in their fields only to secure food. They are trying to adapt to the prevailing situation which is often a compulsion for them to sustain their family and Jhum is no exception. In Karbi Anglong district of Assam, a unique climate change adaption is observed in jhum. The area is part of Caritas India FARM NE III project supported by Misereor, Germany. This adaptation has been recorded as a transformation of the existing system of jhum into a new improvisation. The ongoing pandemic also had a role in this, when it almost crippled the farmers and did not allow them to go to their fields.

In the given circumstances posed by the climate change and the need for securing food, around 10 households in three villages decided to cultivate in their backyard gardens. “It has been a difficult decision for me, but I was left with no choices as I had to feed my family”, said Kasang Teronpi, a jhum farmer from Sam Teron village in the district. Such transformation of jhum took place in three project villages some 5 to 6 years ago.  The farmers who resorted to cultivate paddy in their backyard gardens continued with the similar methods as applied in jhum. The backyard gardens have diversified cropping pattern as jhum and included paddy along with seasonal crops like sesamum, beans, brinjal, tapioca and yam etc. The only visible difference is of the transformation of the shifting cultivation to the settled cultivation.

The farmers who have begun practicing under such compulsions have never shifted away from improvising. The jhum in the backyard has species like bananas which was otherwise not visible in the regular jhum fields in that area.

Such transformations are a result of the climate change which is compelling farmers to adapt to the regimes of changes in the new environmental setups. According to Mr. Mihin Dollo, Director, NRM with the North Eastern Region Community Resource Management Project (NERCORMP), such cases have also been reported from the other areas in the said district and in Manipur as well.  The transformation has resulted in a kind of compromise with the situation as the practice of jhum is associated with the cultural thread of the community. However, cultural practices cannot be rigid always as survival of the community is important.  As of now the farmers are practicing paddy cultivation in alternative years and it remains to be seen how they succeed in taking forward this practice. Caritas India is working with these farmers and extending technical support to sustain their lives and livelihood.