SHILLONG, April 13: Experts on Thursday came together for a workshop in Shillong and threw light on the changes in land use and land cover in Meghalaya and the impact of the same on natural resources and livelihood activities.
According to a statement here, the Centre of Excellence for NRM and Sustainable Livelihood, Meghalaya, organised a workshop here on ‘Expanding Areas of Plantations of Areca Nut and Other Commercial Species in Meghalaya: Critical review of the changing landscapes with reference to their ecological impacts’, which was attended by acclaimed experts, researchers and academicians.
Co-Chairman and Director of Excellence for NRM and Sustainable
Livelihoods, Dr. S Ashutosh, who was the keynote speaker at the workshop, provided an overview of the workshop’s objectives and emphasised the importance of scientific understanding to manage resources and inform people about the consequences.
He also highlighted the concern surrounding the rapid changes in land use and land cover in Meghalaya, especially in Garo Hills, where the expansion of cash crop plantations is impacting the livelihood activities of farmers.
Dr. Ashutosh also emphasised that the biggest impact of climate change is on natural resources and the farming fraternity.
He also presented his ongoing study on land use and land cover change in Meghalaya.
“The study analysed seven grids of 100 sq. km area and will be completed using 20 to 22 grids covering 2022 sq km, which is 10 per cent of the total geographic area. The study has shown that over the period of 11 years, plantation has increased by 300 per cent in Garo Hills region in which areca nut takes maximum plantation cover,” the statement said.
Dr. Ashutosh concluded his presentation by saying that land use and land cover change is essential information for the planning process and resource management. “The changes in land use and land cover in Meghalaya have a significant impact on the natural resources and livelihood activities of the people. Therefore, it is crucial to undertake steps scientifically to address the changes and ensure sustainable development,” he argued.
David Gandhi, Consultant for SALT farming at MBMA, made a presentation on the ‘Land use in Meghalaya’ in the context of agro-horticulture and Natural Resource Management by sharing his field experiences in Meghalaya and Manipur.
Gandhi explained how the soil should be built for the conservation of nutrients and the improvement of soil health.
He showed a series of videos from his field visits to different districts for his study and emphasised the need to look beyond increasing production to conservation.
M. Kharbani, on the other hand, delivered his presentation on ‘Critical review of the changing landscape, with reference to their ecological impacts of Areca nut and other commercial species in Meghalaya’, and spoke about the maintenance of the crop in a picture of an areca nut plantation.
“Monocropping is always detrimental and not encouraged. Problems with the root system in areca nut have led to nutrients being washed away by the rain, but measures like proper spacing and cultural operations can help. To promote diversity, crops with minimal shade like coffee, banana, coconut, mulberry, pepper, La met, etc., can be grown alongside areca nut,” he said.
Kharbani also recommended improvement of what farmers are practising, as well as using leeches as feed for chicken to increase profits.
He also mentioned that areca nut replaced oranges in War Jaintia due to the lack of mulching and proper care given to the crops.
“The presentation emphasised that sustainable agriculture practices are necessary to address the ecological imbalance in Meghalaya. The onus is on us to work towards a better future for agriculture and the environment,” the statement said.
Others who were part of the workshop include BK Tiwari, former professor of, Department of Environmental Studies, NEHU, Dr. N. Raju Singh, Scientist, Agroforestry, DSRE, ICAR, Dr. H. Siangbood, Project Scientist, MINR, MBDA, James T Kharkongor, DPD, Centre of Excellence for NRM & SL, MBDA, Dr. Lavinia Mary Dkhar, Technical Specialist-NRM, CoE for NRM & SL and Sanwar M Swamy, DFO, Silviculture.
