This book presents the first empirically tested, comprehensive study on shifting cultivation in Mizoram. Shifting cultivation is a unique and centuries-old practice carried out by the people of Mizoram in Northeast India. Today, it is a non-economic activity as it does not produce sufficient crops, and as a result, the area under shifting cultivation is decreasing. Such cultivation leads to the burning and degradation of vast areas of forestland and therefore has adverse impacts on the floral and faunal resources. This book is a valuable resource for government workers, policymakers, academics, farmers and those who are directly or indirectly associated with practical farming, or with framing and implementing policies. It is equally important to master's and Ph.D. students of geography, resource management, development, and environmental studies who are involved in research and development.

Offers an empirical study of shifting cultivation in Mizoram Includes 50 color figures and 10 black and white figures along with a number of tables Examines in detail the economic and ecological implications of shifting cultivation in Mizoram

Autorentext

Vishwambhar Prasad Sati (b. 1966), D.Litt. and Ph.D., a Senior Professor of Geography and Resource Management, is currently working at the Mizoram University (A Central University), Aizawl, India. With a teaching career of about three decades, he has served in several higher education institutions within and outside India, some of them being 'Eritrea Institute of Technology', Asmara, Eritrea (NE Africa), 'Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment', Chengdu, China, 'Madhya Pradesh Higher Education', and 'HNB Garhwal University', Srinagar Garhwal. In the same field, he has deeply been involved in research, and has worked as a Visiting Professor and Visiting Scholar in the world's various renowned research and academic institutions, including 'The World Academy of Sciences', 'Chinese Academy of Sciences', 'Indian National Science Academy', 'Indian Council of Social Science Research', and 'Indian Institute of Advanced Studies'. Currently, he is a Senior Global Fellow of the Grassroots Institute, Canada. Besides, he has travelled widely - 40 countries and all over India. He has impactful expertise in the fields of Natural Resource Management, Environment-Development Interface, Climate Change, Rural Livelihoods, Disaster-Related issues, and Culture of the Himalayan region. He has developed several models and action plans for environmental conservation and economic development of the fragile Himalayan ecosystems/landscapes. More than a dozen of national individual projects and projects with international collaboration have been conducted by him. With more than 180 research papers and articles, and about three dozen books published, his academic contribution is well-documented at national and international levels.

Inhalt
Geo-Environmental Setting.- Brief Introduction of Case Study Villages.- Economic Implications of Shifting Cultivation.- Ecological Implications of Shifting Cultivation.- Recent Changes in Farming Systems at State Level.- New Land Use Policy and Sustainable Permanent Agriculture.