Nagaland, a land of villages where majority of its population lives in villages are dependent on agriculture or farming as its main occupation. Nagaland has basically an agricultural economy. So the role of the farmers plays an important part in the economy. A Naga farmer is very hard working. He gets up early in the morning, takes his morning cup of tea, and heads to the field before it is full daylight. He works in the field the whole day without caring about the weather. Be it winter, summer or rainy season, it is all the same for a Naga farmer. A Naga farmer is constantly working throughout the days, weeks and years regardless of the shivering cold winter, the hot summer or the stormy rain.
The Naga farmer works till noon and during the mid-hours of the day, his wife and children bring food for him. The farmer eats his food under some shade and after eating his food, washes it down with water or the local drink called ‘zütho’ which is a common alcoholic drink among the Nagas made of fermented rice. After that, the farmer resumes his work until the sun sets. Often, the farmer hums songs to break the tediousness of his hard labour. Only after darkness sets in, the Naga farmer makes his torch out of twigs and returns home. He is greeted by his wife and his children in his humble abode. After taking his last meal for the day, his fellow farmers visit his home or vice versa. They drink black tea together and a lot of stories and jokes are shared between each other. After an hour or two of passing time socialising with his fellow farmers, the gathering disperses and the Naga farmer takes his well deserved rest.
The life of a Naga farmer is poor in terms of money and he lives under conditions which are full of difficulties. Despite the hard work, the efforts of his hardwork are at the mercy of weather conditions that are unpredictable by nature. But still, he is always happy and content with whatever he makes out of his hardwork and is always God-fearing. The Naga farmer is always grateful for the purity of food that is produced organically and he enjoys the freshness of the air. Moreover when a farmer falls ill, there is no medical treatment as there is a lack of educational and healthcare facilities. However, villagers are sympathetic and take care of each other in times of need. Such feelings of cooperation and mutual existence are rare to find in the cities where neighbours do not even know each other.
Traditional expertise, experiments with cropping patterns and collective community farming techniques forms the backbone of farming in Nagaland. One slope of the terrace field can serve up to 10 families. During a good season, these fields can yield enough crops to sustain these families. Rice being the staple diet for region paddy is grown as a primary crop in the terrace fields. The fields also have corn, sesame, millets and diverse types of vegetables and pulses as reserve crops in case paddy fails. Some crops, which are part of the first batch of the winter harvest are potato, Naga onion, pumpkin, tomato and mustard leaves. In these watery fields, one finds fish, snails and crabs that add protein to the diet. Off late there is a lot of encouragement from the government for fish rearing in the paddy. It sure makes for a pretty picture, almost a poetic scene. Just imagine golden fishes swimming high up in the misty mountains amidst lush and thick tall paddy.
Naga farmers have avoided using high yielding varieties, transgenic crops and chemical fertilisers, instead producing diverse crops through sustainable practices. In a time and age where ‘organic’ and ‘green’ products are acquiring a fast recognition as essentials of ‘good living’ in our rapidly urbanising sensibilities, there are communities like the Nagas in India that still practise sustainable agriculture that remains to be recognised. A day on the farm is also about social bonding and often over delicious food.
Scientific systems of cultivation envisaging organic production of high value crops in the state have high potential for growth of the agriculture sector in Nagaland. Although farmers of Nagaland continue to practice old traditional shifting cultivation because of hilly topography, this practice can be minimized with integrated organic farming system model for long run productivity and economic gain. Farming in Nagaland has very promising opportunities and advantages as the state has, large tract of virgin land and there is a negative attitude of farmers and consumers across the state towards the use of agro-chemicals in agricultural production. In the state of Nagaland, use of inorganic fertilizers and chemicals is negligible, majority of the households maintain livestock which provide sufficient manures. Production of superior high value crops in the state like pineapple, cardamom, ginger, passion fruit, tea, coffee, which are internationally accepted world–wide. In Nagaland, there is a consumer preference for organic produce grown locally and the farmers get better prices for the produce in the market.
Degree of Thought is a weekly community column initiated by Tetso College in partnership with The Morung Express. Degree of Thought will delve into the social, cultural, political and educational issues around us. The views expressed here do not reflect the opinion of the institution. Tetso College is a NAAC Accredited UGC recognised Commerce and Arts College. The editors are Dr Hewasa Lorin, Dr Aniruddha Babar, Nisha Dahiya and Meren. For feedback or comments please email: dot@tetsocollege.org
