GOOD PRACTICES

OF WATERSHED DEVELOPMENT

IN NAGALAND

NAGALAND AT GLANCE

Location : Extreme NE region of India

Geographical Area : 15,579 Sq. Km

Population : 2 millions

Density of population :120 per sq. km.

People : 16 major tribes, each having their

own distinctive dialect, custom and traditions

Literacy Rate : 67.11%

Districts : 11

No. of Blocks : 52

Climate : Sub-tropical to sub-temperate

Annual Rainfall : 2000 mm – 2500 mm

Altitude :200 to 3800 meters

82% of the population live in villages.

92% of land owned by community & individuals.

Only about 5% are landless

Govt. owns only 7% of the total area.

Per Capita Income : Rs. 19,554

Rich in biodiversity but severely degrading

The state is faced with Inherent constraint of bio-physical and

socio-economic problems

• 75% of Nagas live on

subsistence jhum

cultivation

• An average

farmer cultivates

2 fields at a time

• About 60-70

crops are cultivated in a

single jhumfield

• Average jhum

cycle is 6-8 years

• Jhumming

has become

unsustainable

under

increasing

population

pressure and

shorter

rotations

• Most families

are unable to

produce

sufficient food

to fulfill their

needs

Jhumming - A

way of life for

the tribal

Nagas.

Thus strategy

is not to

change the

system but to

find solution

within the

system.

PLANTATION AS A KEY ACTIVITY FOR WATERSHED

TREATMENT – A GOOD PRACTICE

REASONS

High dependence on jhumming

Hilly terrain

High rainfall

Unstable land

Vegetative cover quotient

Act as natural barrier to arrest soil & water erosion

Plantation as a natural choice of the people

Provides economic as well as environmental benefit

MAIN PLANTATIONS

Trees (Having both commercial as well as environmental

benefit)

Horticultural crops (Orange, Passion fruit, Pineapple,

Banana)

Plantation crops (Rubber, Tea, Arecanut, Sugarcane)

SUBSIDIARY CROPS/LIVELIHOOD COMPONENTS ALONG WITH PLANTATION

• MAP

• Black pepper

• Betelvine

• Ginger, Turmeric etc

• Pisciculture

• Beekeeping

STRATEGY ADOPTED

Plantation programmes in sync with the current jhum system

Integrating cash crops under the plantations for sustenance

Bringing convergence with other schemes for sustainable development

Linking them to market

Making it a permanent settled agriculture

Teak plantation inter-cropped with Homalomena aromatica

(Suganthmandri) Chungtiayimsen, Mokokchung-III

Black pepper on teak tree at Lakhuti, IWDP Wokha-II

Tea plantation at Lio-Longidang (IWDP Wokha-IV)

CONVERGENCE OF IWDP WITH STATE SCHEME :

i) Patchauli (MAP) planted under Arecanut trees

ii) Distillation machine installed

iii) Areca leaf plate making machine

IWDP : Rubber Plantation at

Chungtia Village, Mokokchung-II

State Fund : Rubber sheet roller &

Smoke house

Sugarcane cultivators

of

Kejanglwa village (IWDP

Peren-I)

Provided with

Juice extraction machines &

tools for making

molasses

Left : Cardamom

capsules freshly

harvested

Right : Driers being

distributed to

growers

CARDAMOM

PLANTATION UNDER

IWDP MON-IV

Integrating Beekeeping under Plantations – A common activity (bee hives under orange plantation, Chingmei Village (IWDP Tuensang-IV)

IWDP ACTIVITY RESULTED

IN LAUNCHING 2 STATE

MISSIONS :

1. Nagaland Bio-Resource Mission

(NBRM)

2. Nagaland Beekeeping & Honey

Mission (NBHM)

– Government’s policy support – Made the Govt. realize their

immense potentials &

urgency to promote &

develop the two sectors

– All activities are

implemented in a mission

mode

For everything that has happened, there

are so much that has not.

It is hoped that Watershed program will

continue to be the growth engine for

sustainable development of Jhumlands in

Nagaland

THANK YOU