No one can look after their forest and environment better than ethnic people because their survival and identity depend on it. They are generally the best conservationists and they have managed their cultivable lands for many generations.

Agriculture is very much a part of the tribal culture in Northeast India and Jhum or Shifting cultivation or slash and burn is one of the primitive practices of cultivation. Due to traditional beliefs, the people of Northeast India has maintained this practice in the region but the effects of jhum cultivation are devastating and far-reaching in degrading the environment and ecology of these regions.

“Earlier slash and burn agriculture was the process of growing crops traditionally by the tribal of hilly regions of Northeast India.  But the practice of traditional cultivation is partially responsible for destroying the green cover in the area.  The Karbis from a small village named Boalcherra in the Cachar District of Assam realized soon that the present trend of Jhum cultivation was fast becoming detrimental to the environmental health and also that the practice was not producing the expected result. This ultimately creates deforestation and loss of habitat for plants and animals”, says Ms.Regina Teronpi, an active member of Farmer’s club from Boalcherra , where 29 families are totally depended on agriculture for their livelihood.

Bidyasing Hanse, a Farmer Club Secretary shared that in the past, the Jhum cycles were of longer duration from 10 to 15 years, so the land could replenish its lost fertility during this period.

But nowadays owing to increasing pressure of a growing population, deforestation on land the cycles have become shorter from 4 to 7 years, and as such, it cannot replenish its lost fertility. Therefore, the production from this type of cultivation has also decreased to a greater extent.

Thirteen years back, 24 farming families took the initiative to do away with jhum cultivation, given the present context where it was no more a productive practice.

The concern was also to save the fast depleting natural resources around the village.  The households that were practising jhum in their individual plot of land for crops like rice, maize, pumpkin, brinjal, chillies, beans, gourd, papaya etc. started cultivating crop like of areca nut, coconut,  betel leaves, orange, litchi and banana to restore the ecological balance and enhance their income by producing horticultural products.

The absence of unity among the community of Boalcherra, however, was the main impediment to stopping the jhum cultivation. The process was initiated to bring collective decision to avert the detrimental effects of jhum cultivation which was degrading soil and environment leading to the destruction of green land and triggering in soil erosion. But FARM NE II staff of Seva Kendra Silchar (SKS) motivated the community by explaining to them about the ill effects of jhum cultivation, resulting in a community action for a  better feature. According to Dipa, the Coordinator, the FARM team helped the community to strengthen their skills in horticultural production through training. The FARM team also encouraged the community to produce bamboo baskets and other handicrafts. It is worth mentioning here that the FRAM team from SKS have been working hard since 2016 to strengthen the decision of the people on jhum cultivation. The FARM team going by the principle of People Led Empowerment (PLE), helped to the community to stick to their decisions by trying to bring the sense of unity among them.

“We decided that the Boalcherra Farmer’s club will start making basket, honey collection and will convert our jhum land for plantation of areca nut, coconut, bamboo and other fruit trees”, says Farmer Club President.

With constant monitoring and follow-up was done by SKS team, it was observed that the farmers are very actively contributing to use their own traditional techniques and indigenous seeds for preparing nursery of betel nut in a common land and preparing the basket for commercial purpose.

We need to leave behind a serene environment for the generations to come is the tagline that the people of Boalcherra are using to motivate other villages to  Today, the potential farmers of the community at Boalcherra are encouraging and motivating other tribal villages to think and act for a better future.