Transition from shifting cultivation to agroforestry: A case study of regrouped villages in Tripura, India

Abstract

Adoption of alternatives to classical shifting cultivation practices is imperative to the sustainable management of these mosaic landscapes. Resettlement programmes comprise one of the many ways of weaning shifting cultivators and provide them with better livelihood opportunities and improve their socio-economic status. The present study aims to analyse the current socio-economic status of resettled shifting cultivators, changes in farming practices, agroforestry inclusion as alternative and factors that contribute to their adoption. It was observed that about 82% of the households surveyed in the two districts of Tripura have adopted agroforestry practices, either along with shifting cultivation or as the sole type of cultivation practice. This transition to inclusion of agroforestry happened within a span of about 10 years, due to various government and private interventions. A total of 15 agroforestry species were recorded that were grown by these farmers in various combinations that depended on external factors like availability of seedlings, external interventions, area of homestead land and financial viability. Through awareness and better infrastructural support, these farmers can manage their cultivation more sustainably and reap better financial returns from them.