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Nagaland University unearths ancient farming clues to tackle food security crisis
As the world turns back the clock looking for solutions to the climate and food crises of the day, Nagaland University has taken a step that can bring new possibilities in tackling the challenges of the climate crisis and how to live university, assisted by international partners, is spearheading a research programme that looks centuries back -- literally -- into the prehistoric existence of the Naga people, the Naga Australian Research Council project from 2025 to 2028 is a collaborative project between Nagaland University, the University of Sydney, La Trobe University, the University of York, and the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences, Lucknow.
The Nagaland Department of Art and Culture provides local the heart of this project is the quest for evidence in the Holocene and Anthropocene periods -- thousands of years of Naga history. The goal? To determine how past generations of Naga lived, survived, and harvested resources under times of environmental IN LANGA AND NEW PHOR TRACES CLIMATE-SMART FARMINGProject director is Professor Tiatoshi Jamir of Nagaland University, and he is working in collaboration with Indigenous team is exploring two kinds of sites -- early pre-agricultural sites and ancient village settlements that are covered by modern villages.
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One of the locations so far explored is Langa in Shamator district, previously abandoned but resettled today. Oral histories with the elderly and excavations go a long way in piecing together the past. The team has also produced a short film covering the process with the assistance of local tribal research is also underway in Meluri district's New Phor village, sponsored by the Pochury Hoho. Researchers are hoping that the research will reveal how past agriculture practices responded to changing climates -- and if some of the solutions can be transferred to the food system studies entail scientific methods including dating through analysis of burnt plant remains, analysis of residues of food in pots, and analysis of microfossilised plants (phytoliths) in can provide us with details of diets and farming in ancient PRACTICES THAT MAY HOLD KEYS TO MODERN FOOD SECURITYUniversity of Sydney Professor Alison Betts says the knowledge of past adaptations can assist modern societies in preparing better for the uncertain integrating archaeology, oral history, and science, this project has the capacity to influence how Nagaland will be addressing food security and climate resilience in the future.
Scientists also attempt to research the health impact of conventional food preservation and processing methods since they chart long-term environmental condition a state like Nagaland, where jhum cultivation -- also known as slash-and-burn agriculture-- and other cultivation habits have come under criticism, the research offers new research shows that such systems enhance biodiversity and crop resilience, which challenges earlier DO SUCH STUDIES MATTER?Nagaland has a deep-rooted history of sustainable agriculture shaped by generations of traditional knowledge and land management. However, these systems face growing challenges as more young people migrate to urban areas, and climate-related disruptions make traditional farming harder to jhum method has often been viewed critically for its impact on newer scientific perspectives are re-evaluating this view. Recent research suggests that such rotational farming systems may actually play a role in preserving biodiversity, maintaining crop variety, and supporting resilience against climate extremes and social this context, archaeological studies become essential. Researchers are combining archaeological methods with fieldwork to track environmental shifts over connecting changes in ancient farming and food systems with historical climate data, the project aims to understand how earlier communities adapted to similar environmental pressures.
