Abstract
Jhum or shifting cultivation is the dominant land-use practice of northeastern region of India. Jhum cultivation systems are generally productive, making efficient use of resources, ensuring ecological sustainability and food security, thus providing a social safety net for local communities. It is an ecologically and economically viable system of agriculture as long as population densities are low and Jhum cycles (fallow period) are long enough to maintain ecological balance. Population explosion and increased demand for cultivable land with the emergence of new generation of youth cultivators have resulted in reduction of the cultivation cycle. This has seriously affected the local livelihoods and environmental sustainability in many pockets of the region. This study was conducted during 2012-13 in Gomati district of Tripura state in North-East India to understand the livelihood status of tribal people practicing Jhum. Data were collected using structured interview scheduled for 140 tribal farmers. The results revealed that the highest proportion (39.3%) of tribal farmers have low livelihood status followed by medium (36.4%) and high (24.3 %) livelihood status. Education, family size, number of family members involved in Jhum, area under Jhum, annual income, fallow period, livestock possession, material possession, and extension participation had positive significant relationships with the livelihood status of the study sample and thus, could be manipulated to improve the livelihood status of tribal people. Tropical Agricultural Research Vol. 25 (3): 316-326 (2014)
Highlights
The important problem faced by tribal communities in India is how to earn and sustain livelihoods
The assets, activities and capabilities which provide livelihood status to the tribal people are size of land, selling of products of Jhum, their ability to call on friends or neighbours for help at times of need, community support, quality of labour which is available at household level, skills of the family member, their physical fitness to do hard work, their access to common property resources and benefit from the common property resources
Area under Jhum and number of family members involved in Jhum had positive significant relationship with livelihood status
Summary
The important problem faced by tribal communities in India is how to earn and sustain livelihoods. There are varieties of livelihood practices by the tribal communities in different parts of India and elsewhere, such as the hunter-gatherers, pastoralist and shifting cultivators who live in different environments. Shifting (Jhum) cultivation in Tripura State of India productive, make efficient use of resources and have supported large populations. About 26,000 households practice shifting cultivation (Jhum) every year and nearly 143,000 people depend on Jhum for subsistence (Shoaib, 2000). It has evolved as a traditional practice and is an institutionalized resource management mechanism ensuring ecological sustainability and food security providing a social safety net for local communities (Andersen et al, 2008)
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