Shifting cultivation: towards a transformational approach

Managing transformations in shifting cultivation areas is fundamental to agricultural development in the
uplands of northeast (NE) India and an important element of the Act East Policy. Transformation of shifting
cultivation is therefore key to the thrust for agricultural transformation in the region. While different
programmes designed to address the management of shifting cultivation have claimed drastic reductions,
both in terms of area under cultivation as well as number of households involved, the Forest Survey of
India’s reports over the years continue to attribute large scale deforestation and loss of forest cover in NE
India to shifting cultivation (FSI, 2015). This suggest a lack of updated and authentic data on the area
under shifting cultivation as well as the total number of households practicing shifting cultivation. About
8,500 sq. km of area in northeast India is shown under shifting cultivation (MoSPI, 2014), but there is
inconsistency in the data of various agencies. There is an urgent need for accurate and up to date
information on shifting cultivation as the design and scale of all future programmes/projects depend on
this. Managing transformative change in the context of shifting cultivation requires the active involvement of
multiple ministries and agencies.