No abstract

No abstract

Shifting cultivation is the main source of livelihood system in the hill areas of Manipur, one of the north-eastern States in India. It is widely prevalent due to lack of alternative farm employment. Its inputs are crude and traditional in nature resulting in subsistence income. Shifting cultivation is labour-intensive and has a traditional character. Empirical evidence shows that rapid population growth has increased the use of forest land for shifting cultivation in Manipur. The system's cycle has substantially declined due to population pressure on land thereby reducing the productivity. It has resulted in environmental degradation and problems of forest land re-vegetation. It has also led to a huge loss of forest resources every year. Its production is mostly organic due to sparingly use of inorganic fertilisers. Institutional changes in the form of private ownership of land have resulted in commercialisation of forest products like timber and firewood. Land use and forest laws need to be strengthened to safeguard and protect forest land. Ensuring food security and restructuring of land ownership system from community to private may reduce the practice of shifting cultivation and conserve forest cover.

China proactively wants to establish the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor (BCIM-EC) as an integral part of the Belt and Road Initiative for economic cooperation. Through the BCIM-EC, China wants to revive the ancient Southern Silk Road trade route. Beijing realises that to achieve the BCIM-EC, India’s cooperation would be indispensable. India has been hesitant to fully commit to the BCIM-EC owing mainly to the surging trade deficit with China, overlapping of objectives with other similar existing regional cooperation initiatives, China’s dominance in South Asia, security concerns, territorial disputes and trade-related logistic issues. However, in recent times, India has shown more interest in developing the economic corridor considering its potential to promote development, security and stability in the Indian Northeast, which would align well with the geostrategic objectives of India’s Act East Policy (AEP). India however needs to better align its AEP with BCIM-EC in order to promote and strengthen the AEP and thereby concurrently build the BCIM-EC to link Southeast Asia and China.

Land is collectively owned and governed by the community among the Scheduled Tribe (ST) in the northeastern region. As a result, households without land were less prominent among the ST households, than all-social groups, particularly in the ST-population-dominated states. Private land ownership has also evolved in recent times. Land is the basic resources and agriculture, especially shifting cultivation, is the primary means of livelihood for majority of them. ST households mostly cultivated a small and medium size of land rendering to a subsistence economy. Recently, a gradual relinquish from the dependence of agriculture for employment and livelihood is evident. Concurrently, agricultural income has significantly declined. Ironically, the region continues to produce inadequate food grains production that is insufficient to cater the rapidly growing population. Economy of STs revolves around a subsistence agricultural economy. Nevertheless, ST means of livelihood has converged towards diversified modern market-oriented employment and economy.