Shifting cultivation in Mizoram, India: An empirical study of its economic implications

Shifting cultivation is the major occupation and the main source of income of the marginal farmers(Jhumias) in Mizoram. At present, net area sown in Mizoram State is only 5.5%, of which, 16.9% area is devoted to shifting cultivation. Meanwhile, about 54% people, living in the rural areas, are engaged in practicing it. This paper examines economic implications of shifting cultivation in Mizoram, the eastern extension of the Himalaya. A total of 16 villages from eight districts(two villages from each district), were selected for case study, based on their location and distance from the district’s headquarter. Household level survey was conducted and a purposive random sampling method was employed to select households with 34.2% sampling size. The case study reveals that production and yield of the principal crops grown under shifting cultivation has decreased during the last 17 years(2000-2017), whereas, there is a slight increase in area sown. It further shows that although, a large group of Jhumias are practicing shifting cultivation and growing subsistence cereals, yet, their economic viability is significantly less than cash crops. As a result, a large section of people in rural areas are living below poverty line. The study suggests that for sustainable livelihood, cash crops can replace subsistence crops and shifting cultivation can be converted into permanent cultivation through terracing the Jhum plots.

Whole-rock geochemistry of Tertiary sediments of Mizoram Foreland Basin, NE India: implications for source composition,tectonic setting and sedimentary processes

Sandstones belonging to the Oligocene Barail Group and Miocene Surma Group of the Mizoram Foreland Basin have been studied geochemically to constrain their provenances,tectonic setting,and other sedimentary processes(weathering and mineral sorting etc.).Based on their mineralogical compositions,these sandstones are classified as quartzarenite and sublithic-arenite.The sandstones of Barail and Surma Groups have similar contents of most of the major elements except for SiO2 and A12O3.The Barail sandstones are relatively more siliceous and less aluminous compared to the Surma sandstones.Barail and Surma sandstones were plotted in a singular array on different geochemical discrimination diagrams.The CIA and CIW values of the sandstones of Barail(69 and 77 respectively)and Surma Groups(68 and 77 respectively)suggest that the sandstones were derived from moderately weathered source rocks.In the A-CN-K diagram,the studied samples plotted along a roughly singular trend that originates from granodiorite as well as Trans-Himalayan granitoids and also confined within the field of Siwalik sediments.Chondrite・normalized REE patterns for the Surma and Barail sandstones are identical and are similar to upper continental crust,with moderate to high LREE enrichment and prominent negative Eu anomalies(*Eu/Eu for both Barail and Surma sandstone=0.69),indicating their derivation from a felsic magmatic source.The values of,*Eu/Eu(LaN/LuN),La/Sc,La/Co,Th/Sc,Th/Co,and Cr/Th ratios of Surma and Barail sandstones are also not significantly different,and the values are similar to finefractions derived from the weathering of felsic rocks.In the K2O/Na2O versus SiO2,Th-Sc-Zr/10 and Ti/Zr versus La/Sc tectonic discrimination diagrams the studied samples of Barail and Surma sandstones plot within the fields of greywacke from continental island arcs and active continental margin.The geochemical characteristics of the studied sedimentary rocks and their similarity with the Siwalik foreland sediments thus suggest were sourced from different felsic magmatic lithounits of Himalaya and were deposited in an active continental margin.

Food security status in rural areas of Mizoram,Northeast India

Rural areas of the Mizoram state, India practice subsistence agriculture where shifting cultivation dominates the farming systems. As a result, output from crops is very low and thus, the rural areas suffer from food insecurity. This paper analyses food security status in the rural areas of Mizoram and suggests the measures to attain food security. A case study of 16 villages, lying in all the eight districts of Mizoram, was conducted in 2014 and1527 households(76%) out of total 2010 households were surveyed through purposive random sampling method. Structured questionnaire was constructed and questions on three food security components and13 indicators were asked. We used Z score technique to calculate data and finally got a composite score of all the components of food security. Our result shows that food availability in the study villages is very less as composite score stands for 0.003 whereas food accessibility is comparatively higher, mainly due to availability of fair price shops(mean value is one),high agricultural working population(40.1%) and high literacy rate(70.6%). Therefore, its composite score is 0.236. Food stability scores only-0.062 and finally overall food security stands for 0.178, which is inadequate. We have suggested that ‘system rice intensification', which is already in practice, should be given priority. Adequate irrigation facilities, proper public distribution system, cultivation of fruits and vegetables, value addition in farm products and access to market may achieve food security.