Livelihood Strategies and Agricultural Practices in Khonoma Village of Nagaland, India: Observation from a Field Visit

Abstract

Forest resources have both economic and ecological significance. However, rapid expansion of non-forest activities at the expense of natural forests has become a serious threat to forest resource all over the world. This paper makes an attempt to understand livelihood strategies, cultivation method and perception about climate change in Khonoma Village of the state of Nagaland, India. The study is based on primary data collected through field survey. Our analysis reveals that all the villagers of Khonoma depend directly or indirectly on agriculture for their livelihood, however, the focus of activity in the present days is shifting towards cash crops. There are mainly two types of cultivation method followed: Jhum Cultivation and Wet Rice Cultivation, the later being the dominant type of cultivation in the present time. The major crops that villagers grow in the present time in Khonoma includes rice, chilli, tomatoes, brinjal, ginger, garlic, pumpkin, cucumber, gourd, yam, lentils, beans, sesame, maize, millet, and job’s tears. When asked if they have ever heard of what ‘Climate Change’ means from any source, around 93% of the respondent said that they have heard about the term mostly from television. Causes of climate change are reported to be different by the different respondents, but none of the respondent considered shifting cultivation causes deforestation thus contributes to climate change.