The N.E.Region of our country is hilly and represents the fringes of greater Himalaya with undulating to rolling topography. In ancient times our ancestors born in hilly and dense forests where they had to fight with wild animals and numerous natural phenomena. The Agricultural and crop production started in those areas through the primitive way. The surrounding hill tops of the hemlets were to be cleared and burnt to dominate the wild animals and also to grow food.

Very fast growth of vegetation in the humid and subtropical climate of N.E.Region is the boon. This has made the region very potential for numerous crops, vegetables, fruits, spices, forest including medicinal herbs, shrubs and trees. With the advent of long rain span almost all required crops like paddy, pulses, spices, fibres, vegetables and even tobacco are harvested from the shifting cultivation practices done by hard tools and tremendous labour. So the shifting cultivation practice is evolved by the physiographical and climatological factors as a subsistance Agriculture and it teaches us the more use of rain water, growing of multicrops and mixed crops. But the shifting cultivators were suffering from the threat of animals for which they make raised bamboo huts (Tong-Ghar) with pointed bamboos so that wild animals cannot put their steps in the bamboo floors.

But the yields of crops are less due to soil erosion and now the time of shifting from one place to other place has shrinked to even 1 year due to shortage of new areas and some time Jumias do not get any place to shift.

In one way the subsistance agriculture like shifting cultivation is to continue for the survival and in other way the soil erosion is to be checked. The later one i.e, the checking of soil erosion can be made through integrated watershed management and also the system may be improvised to get better yields and substainable economy generation alongwith ecology management.

The soil erosion caused by intensive rain water runoff which becomes severe in the hill slopes especially when the herbs and bushes are cleared. If the speed of the run off is minimised most of the water can percolate inside the soil solum. Therefore creation of plenty of very small barriers at very short distances by crops can halt the rainoff for some time resulting the more infiltration. It is experimentally found that about 80 to 90 percent of total rain can be infiltrated inside soil solum alongwith harvests of sustainable production by the contour cropping in the shifting cultivation areas. 

a) To minimise soil erosion as maximum as possible.
b) To increase productivity per unit of area, per unit of time and labour.
c) To make eclogy and economy sustainable.
d) To increase employment potentals.
e) To strengthen socio-cultural bonds.

a) Simple tools of shifting cultivators as used by them like takkal (dribbling dao or hand knife), knife, weeder, sickle, water juricane with spraying mug etc.
b) Their small buskets (as used by them)
1) One for paddy, seasamam & mesta seeds (mixed).
2) One for maize, chilli, vegetable, cotton, tobacco seeds (mixed).
3) One for pineapple and banana suckers.

a) All the dead bushes are cleared first. Then the vacant spaces are chosen starting from top. The grasses are cleared from the contour band. Each band may be 2 to 3 meters or more as per availability of almost vacant land across the slope. The cleaning of such fallow contour bund may go upto the healthy bushes and trees below. The healthy bushes and trees are not disturbed rather all the uper soils and weeds are kept in the bottom of trees and bushes in a line which becomes a small bundh across the slope.
b) This second row of healthly bushes and trees across the slope is maintained through out the tilla or high land which may become like a ring. The width of this bushy row in contour may be as per necessity i.e. till another almost vacant spot is found. This bushy contour row also may be irregular or wavy across the slope.
c) All big trees and bamboo bunches will be adjusted in the bushy contour rows. If required some of bamboo suckers may be replanted in the almost vacant small spots for creating permanent bushes across the slopes intemittently.
In this way a strip (band) of vacant areas and a strip (band) of bushes are created alternately across the slopes (in contours) for the whole tilla or high land or as per necessity without felling any tree.

a) Crops seeds like paddy, seasamum and mesta are mixed and sown by dibbling across the slope in contour lines just like present practice. The line to line distances may be 15 to 16 cm. Like this dibbling of seeds may be in 10 to 15 lines.
b) Below that the mixed seeds of chilli maize, cotton, tobacco and vegetables etc. are sown in lines at a distance of about 25 to 30 cm. so that slightly bushy and thicker crops are grown below the thin crops like paddy, seasamum and mesta etc.
c) Next below i.e. in then upper side of the bushy area 3 to 4 rows of pineapples suckers are planted at a distance of 50cm. line to line and 30cm. plant to plant. The Second row and Forth row pineapple plants will be in the middle of 2 plants of first row and third row. In the vacant spot the suckers of banana and papaya seedlings are planted. In case of vacant spots availability in different corners cashewnut, lime or lemon and litchi, teak, gamair and if possible jack fruits etc. are slso planted very sparsely. As per feasibilities contour hedges of perenial Arhar, glysicidia, tephrosia, ipomia may be made below such bushy or cropped or both areas.
d) Near the existing trees, black pepper or pan (betelvine) or both are grown @ 3 seedling per trees for perenial companian crops.

After sowing, weeding and cleanings are done in every 2nd or 3rd week. All the soft weeds are mixed and compacted by hand made balls and put inside the soil. The others are kept in the bottom of pineapples, banana, papaya or jackfruit plants. Urea may be applied as top dressing by side band placement in the upperside of the rows of crops @ 20 kg. per hectare and with earthing up. So for each line of crops across the slopes there are mini bands or barriers for the runoff. The major portion of the runoff are percolated inside the soil solum. The fertilizer is dissolved by the subsurface water and brought to the root zone of the crops.

At the age of 6 weeks and 9 weeks top dressing of urea are given to all crops alongwith weeding and earthing up. This may be done spraying of two % Urea solution. 

Stem borer, grass hoppers and gandhibug are the major pests of shifting cultivation crops especially of the paddy. Malathion or tobacco dicoction or neem pesticides may be given if required. But if sufficient care are taken at the time of weeding, pest attacks can be minimised. Two percent solution of urea may be given alongwith bio-pesticides also.

After harvest of seasamum, paddy & few vegetables and chillies second crop of Blackgram, cowpea can be sown inthe vacant spots in July-August.New crops like papaya, banana, black pepper, pine apple, bayleaf, pan can be grown in suitable vacant spots and Arhar and suvin cotton may be planted in bundhs of bushy bands or in the perefiri of the plots.

During September, October as per feasibilities mustard and winter maize and some of winter vegetables may be grown especially in the lower tilla land and in foot hills.

During February-March early summer vegetables, pan, black pepper and kakrol etc. may be grown especially in homestead and hanana and papaya in foot hills. Thereafter in March-April cultivation cycle will restart with food crops and jhum crops. By intensive management of the Jhum areas there may be harvesting of different crops in every month and there are some items like banana,papaya, pan and spices may be sold in every week or in each of the rural market days. such as :

Months. Cr ops may be harsted for consumption & sale.

1. June-July Seasamum, cucerbits, paddy, chilli, Jackfruit, Banana, Pineapple.
2. August- Sept. Paddy, Vegetables, Pineapple, Maize, Cotton, Tobacco.
3. Oct.- Nov. Mesta, Cowpea, Blackgram, Vaily, Arhar, Papaya, Banana.
4. Dec. - Jan. Mustard, Pan,Papaya, Banana, some of winter vegetables.
5. Feb.- March Blackpepper, Pan, Papaya, Banana, Bayleaf, winter maize.
6. April- May Cashewnut, Banana, Papaya, Pan tapioca, early vegetables.

Yield of different crops in the improvised contour plot shifting cultivation (per.ha.)

Crops. Qut. Expected value.
1. Paddy 12.00 Qtls. Rs. 7000.00
2. Seasamum 0.30 " Rs. 300.00
3. Tobacco 0.08 " Rs. 400.00
4. Maize 0. 80 " Rs. 600.00
5. Chilli 0.05 " Rs. 100.00 

6. Vegetables 2.00 " Rs. 500.00
7. Cotton 0.04 " Rs. 100.00
8. Arhar 0.10 " Rs. 100.00
9. Blackgram 0.05 " Rs. 100.00
10. Cowpea 0.10 " Rs. 100.00
11. Mesta 2.00 " Rs. 100.00
12. Jackfruit 10.00 " Rs. 1000.00
13. Papaya 5.00 " Rs. 1500 .00
14. Black Pepper 0.05 " Rs. 400.00
15. Cashewnut. 0.10 " Rs. 200.00
16. Pineapple 5.00 " Rs. 500.00
17. Banana 100 bunches. Rs. 2000.00
18. Betelvine 25 bundles Rs. 200.00

Total Rs. 15600.00

About half of above products may be required to be sold (except cereals) for non-agricultural essential commodities after meeting the family requirement for the whole year. Again there may be other economic ventures like weaving, piggery, poultry, bee keeping, busketry, forest products etc.

The contour plots will be permanent plots of cultivation. The medium gestation crop yields will increase and crops will yield three times more by fifth and sixth year. So by three to five years the per family income will be about Rs.25000/- per year. In this way the sustainable production can be achieved.

Per family labour availability is about 3 numbers on an average. For growing of above crops including harvesting total requirement of labour is about 350 mandays. Therefore each member of a family of 5 person may get around 70 days of work engagement alternately in different seasons, days and times. However, it is essential that the only two persons can generate 350 mandays a year and children attend schools & colleges.

The runoff of the intensive rain cannot run directly down wards. In every half or one feet the re are small barriers of slightly raised ridgeof the crop lines. About 50% of the running water is soacked or percolated to the subsurface of the soil. Thereafter the slow runoff is again obstructed by the raised ridges of the pineapple rows and another half of the 50% of the water is diverted into the sub-soil. Below that there is the contour of the bushes, trees, bamboo and grasses which again create obstruction and divert another half of the rest 25% of the water inside soil solum. When such 87% of the rain water is penetrated inside soil solum the ground water is recharged well alongwith control of flood in the plain area. The most precious result is that due to very slow and slower and even slowest movement of the water from the tilla top to foot hills and valleys the eroding power of water minimised by about 90%, and such the ecology may become stable.

By the teachings of mixed crops, companion crops and using of rain water for production of 3 season crops the in situ permanent and sustainable shifting cultivation can be termed as Boon instead of Curse. Now let us hope the best from the planners, scientists, councils and Governments.