The majority of the tribal population in Arunachal Pradesh is engaged in cultivation but the women are
engaged to a larger extent than men. Feminist political ecological analyses undertaken globally show the intricate relationship that women have with nature, and their roles and responsibilities within the household, ecological conservation, and natural resources management. This presentation focuses on traditional agricultural practices such as jhum cultivation and women’s reliance on forests and the conservation of more than human species.
The research question is, “How have women’s capacities changed in applying traditional ecological knowledge for managing agriculture and forest-related activities amongst Indigenous communities in Northeast India?”
Indigenous people in Arunachal used the traditional form of agriculture that included a wide range of
activities combining shifting cultivation (Jhum) with hunting and gathering, fishing, animal husbandry,
weaving, and toolmaking. Shifting cultivation also known as Jhum cultivation is an ancient practice of slash-and-burn agriculture which is linked to the socioeconomic, cultural, and religious beliefs of these tribes. Jhum farming systems provided food security to the people in the high-risk environment of the area. Over the past few years, women have participated in government schemes promoting orange cultivation, which has suffered major losses, while others have resorted to commercial fishing in ponds that are flooded during monsoons. This study concludes that focusing on women’s entrepreneurial capacities should also encourage them to practice indigenous knowledge which strived to have a balance between nature, and humans, more than humans like tigers as well as the economy.
