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Lumami, Nagaland, June 15, 2026: Nagaland University has recently completed a study that describes how traditional knowledge guides terrace farming among the Angami Naga people. These study findings have the potential to improve sustainable practices and food security. This study also provides examples of how traditional practices of agriculture can cope with the challenges of the modern world regarding sustainability.
The results of this study will likely aid the expansion of sustainable practices and strengthen food security at the national level. Researchers involved in the study also stated that culturally acceptable agricultural practices of indigenous people will be as equally respected for the implementation of development policies and projects. The diverse farming systems of North-East India emerge from its varying agro-climatic conditions and long-standing indigenous traditions. The hilly terrain of Nagaland may support only shifting cultivation, but the Angami Nagas have a long-standing tradition of terrace farming.
This study is an improvement on the centuries of scholarship that focused on the technical aspects of terrace farming. This study focuses on the cultural and ecological knowledge systems. The study findings are published in a SAGE journal based on the doctoral study of Mr. Ketekhoto Neihu, and were completed with the guidance of Dr. Srikanth Yamsani, Assistant Professor, Tribal Research Centre, Department of Sociology, Nagaland University.
While acknowledging the significance of community issue-based research, Nagaland University Vice Chancellor Prof. Jagadish Kumar Patnaik ascertains that the research shows traditional knowledge still upholds the productivity of agriculture, balance of ecology, and the resilience of community of the hill region of Nagaland. He observes that the sustainability of the Angami terrace cultivation relies on the combination of the ecological, community, and cultural dimensions. He further states that research of this kind highlights the need to document, preserve, and appreciate indigenous knowledge systems, especially as the world is in search of sustainable and climate-resilient forms of agriculture.
Prof. Patnaik, while appreciating the researchers as well as the Tribal Research Centre, congratulates them for the research which gives insights into the advanced systems of soil and water management used by the Angami community. He further states that the research highlights the planning of agriculture using ecological indicators as well as the cultural dimensions of farming. He states that indigenous knowledge is a living knowledge system that continues to promote sustainable development and environmental protection.
The research discusses that traditional farming systems of the Angami Nagas have an intensive focus on soil, water conservation, and organic farming. The construction of terrace farms using indigenous systems of soil conservation and water management is a clear manifestation of this. Their continued use of organic farming over the use of chemicals is an indication of their commitment to environmental and human health.
The study concludes that agriculture among the Angami Naga community is deeply embedded not only in economic life but also in cultural and social traditions. Researchers suggest that this presents opportunities for sustainable agricultural development in Nagaland and other regions where scientific approaches and traditional knowledge systems can work together. The study concludes that farming among the Angami Naga community extends beyond the economic sphere, reaching cultural and social traditions. As such, the authors suggest that the integration of science and traditional knowledge may facilitate sustainable agricultural development in Nagaland and elsewhere.
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