Coping With Climate Change

People in remote hilly regions of Meghalaya’s Garo Hills largely depend on Jhum cultivation. It would be difficult for them to understand the term climate change but they have made their effort to minimise Jhum cultivation with other form of sustainable livelihood practice.

- Saidul Khan

Initiated by the North East Region Community Resource Management Society (NER- CORMP) for Upland areas, a project funded by the Ministry of DoNER, the indigenous communities of Garo Hills were empowered through different income generating activities.

The marginalised and vulnerable groups were motivated to form Self Help Groups (SHGs) and Natural Resource Management Group (NaRM-G) for building capacity and initiating development. In 2011, NERCORMP – II project was made operational in West Garo Hills to introduce livelihood and economic activities for the people living on the edge with the potential threat of climate change.

“We were introduced with the sustainable farm practice and given revolving funds. We took the advantage of the opportunity to carry out plantation of fruit bearing plants, including like mango, jackfruit and spices,” said secretary of Damal Onthapara NaRM-G William D Sangma. Damal Onthapara village is under Dalu Development Block in West Garo Hills.

The Garo community in Meghalaya has a vast indigenous conservation knowledge, which is reflected in their ancient rituals and ceremonies. However, the agrarian practice of rampant Jhum has led to clearance of green cover. Toward this end, a realisation was instilled among several project villages by NERCORMP, where beneficiaries were motivated to keep a selected area in the village as a “community conserve area” (CCA).