From jhum to broom: Agricultural land-use change and food security implications on the Meghalaya Plateau, India

Abstract

Human population growth in the developing world drives land-use changes, impacting food security. In India, the dramatic change in demographic dynamics over the past century has reduced traditional agricultural land-use through increasing commercialization. Here, we analyze the magnitude and implications for the farming system by the introduction of cash-cropping, replacing the traditional slash and burn rotations (jhum), of the tribal people on the Meghalaya Plateau, northeast India, by means of agricultural census data and field surveys conducted in seven villages. Land-use change has brought major alterations in hill agricultural practices, enhanced cash-cropping, promoted mono-cropping, changed food consumption patterns, underpinned the emergence of a new food system, and exposed farmers and consumers to the precariousness of the market, all of which have both long- and short-term food security implications. We found dietary diversity to be higher under jhum compared to any of the cash-crop systems, and higher under traditional cash-cropping than under modern cash-cropping.

Keywords: Cash-cropping; Farming system; Land-use change; Northeast India; Population pressure; Slash and burn.

Fig. 1

Map showing the three regions—Garo Hills, Khasi Hills, and Jaintia Hills—of the state of Meghalaya, with inset map showing the location of Meghalaya in the Northeast of India

Fig. 2

Spacing between housing units in the state of Meghalaya, India: (a) little space between housing units for kitchen gardens in areca nut plantation areas (Nongtalang village) and (b) ample space between housing units generally used as kitchen garden in jhum areas (Mawrynniaw village). Sources Google Earth viewed from 1300 m distance, photo (a) taken on 9/13/2011 and photo (b) taken on 10/2/2010, photos to the right taken by the first author in 2013

Fig. 3

Human population (a) growth (percent) and (b) density (persons per square km) in the state of Meghalaya (red) and for the whole of India (black), over 11 decades from 1901 to 2011. Source Census of India

Fig. 4

Land-use/cover change in the state of Meghalaya, India: (a) overall change of major agricultural land-use categories and (b) regional change of major agricultural land-use categories, over 37 years (from 1973–1974 to 2010–2011). Source As for Table 1

Fig. 5

Pictures form the study area in the state of Meghalaya in India, showing (a) a diversity of food crops cultivated under the jhum system, (b) women returning from jhum fields with traditional food baskets in Mawryniaw village, (c) broom cultivation at large scale, close to Kshaid village (d) broom for sale by the road side, Kshaid village, (e) space between housing units used as kitchen garden in Thadnongiaw village, and (f) recently introduced rubber plantation, Machokgree village (all photos by the first author)

Fig. 6

North–south cross section of the Meghalaya Plateau (Dawki–Pynursla–Shillong peak–Nongpoh–Jorabat) in India and the distribution of different cash-crops (traditional in black font and modern in gray font) over the major hypsographic regions: the northern undulation, the central plateau, and the southern precipitous (not to scale)