Traditional Slash and Burn Agriculture as a Historic Land Use Practice: A Case Study from the Ethnic Noctes in Arunachal Pradesh, India

The present practice of traditional slash-and-burn agriculture (locally called jhum kheti) by the ethnic Noctes in Tirap district of Arunachal Pradesh, India is a part of history of rural landscapes. Even today, the local jhumias totally depends on this traditional farming system for their livelihood. Nonetheless, it is time and again considered as ‘traditional’ and firm in contrast to modern mechanized farming system. That conviction overlooks farmers’ expertise, which is accumulated over generations to exploit natural resources while adapting itself to physical, social and economic setting. This article on Nocte jhumias provides an idea about how complex and reliable this traditional farming system can be and how the indigenous Noctes optimize family labour but also limit their risks. Altogether, 20 rural villages mostly from the Nocte ethnic group were studied to discuss traditional slash-and-burning farming practices for achieving ecological sustainability.