To understand the impact of climate change on water resources, this research investigates long-term rainfall trends and anomalies across Northeastern India (NEI), covering Assam and Meghalaya (A&M); Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, and Tripura (NMMT); and Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim (SHWB&S) using different statistical tests including innovative trend analysis (ITA). The study scrutinizes 146 years of rainfall statistics, trend analyses, variability, and probability distribution changes to comprehend its implications. Furthermore, the change in the assured rainfall probabilities was also worked out to understand the impact on rainfed agriculture of Northeastern India. Comparative analysis between all India (AI) and NEI reveals that NEI receives nearly double the annual rainfall compared to AI (2051 mm and 1086 mm, respectively). Despite resembling broad rainfall patterns, NEI displays intra-regional variations, underscoring the necessity for region-specific adaptation strategies. Statistical characteristics like the coefficient of skewness (CS) and coefficient of kurtosis indicate skewed rainfall distributions, notably during the winter seasons in NMMT (CS~1.6) and SHWB&S (CS~1.5). Trend analyses reveal declining rainfall trends, especially conspicuous in NEI’s winter (−1.88) and monsoon (−2.9) seasons, where the rate of decrease was higher in the last three decades. The return periods of assured rainfall at 50% and 75% probability levels also increased sharply during the winter and monsoon seasons by over 30% during the recent half, posing challenges for rainfed upland hill farming. Furthermore, this study highlights increasing variability and negative anomalies in monsoon rainfall over NEI, exacerbating decreasing rainfall trends and significantly impacting agricultural productivity. These findings underscore the urgency for adaptive measures tailored to evolving rainfall patterns, ensuring sustainable agricultural practices and efficient water resource management.

With the adoption of high-yielding varieties of paddy, the foodgrains production has increased in North-East region of India. To estimate the growth performance of agriculture, time series data on area, production and productivity of foodgrains have been analysed for the period 1972–73 to 2011–12, which was divided into three decades, viz. 1982–83 to 1991–92 (I decade), 1992–93 to 2001–02 (II decade), 2002–03 to 2011–12 (III decade) and overall period 1972–73 to 2011–12. During the overall period, among the states, Nagaland registered the highest significant growth in area, production and yield, followed by Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram. All the NE states have shown positive growth rates in area, production and yield increase. The decomposition analysis of growth has suggested that sources of output growth were almost same in all the periods. During the first decade, the major contribution in the change of foodgrain production in the region was of area effect (74.8%), followed by yield effect (22.8%), whereas in all-India, the yield effect was 71 per cent. During the second period, the region had almost half sharer (50.3%) of area effect in food security, followed by yield effect (42.7%). In the third decade, yield effect was the major contributing factor to food security of the region (98.6%), except of Nagaland and Sikkim where major contribution has been found of area effect.

Per capita consumption of pulses over the years has come down to 30g/day in 2008 from 61g/day in 1951. The same trend is followed in North Eastern part of our country. Pulses are mainly grown in uplands in North Eastern Hill Region of India. Pulses are very important for achieving nutritional security and considering its importance the 68th UN General Assembly declared 2016 the International Year of Pulses (IYP). Depending on the size of the farm land and their resources, pulses are grown by the farmers. In 2013–14, NE India produced 209.3 thousand tonnes of pulses from an area of 252.8 thousand hectare with an average productivity of 828 Kg/ha. The NE region of India is almost 82% deficit in pulse production against its requirements as per ICMR recommendation. The study revealed that during overall period (1972–73 to 2011–12), across all the states in North East Region, Manipur (28.3%) has registered the highest significant growth in production followed by Nagaland (11.9%) and Tripura (4%). From decomposition analysis of growth in North East, it was found that over the period (1972–73 to 2011–12) yield effect (48%) was more than area effect (23%) whereas in country level area effect (33.8%) was more than yield effect (28.3%). There is a need for concerted efforts from various Departments to divert the area under shifting cultivation to production of pulses and other crops following principles of conservation agriculture, which would ultimately help in conserving soil and improving health.

This study analyzed the impact of weather variables on insect pest dynamics and their diversity in the radish ecosystem through field experiments conducted for two years at a locality in the eastern Himalayas. The relationship with weather variables was studied with six different dates of sowing, and diversity was assessed using standard indices. Various organic management options were also evaluated. Results revealed that temperature had a positive impact, whereas relative humidity and rainfall negatively affected the population of insect pests. The radish ecosystem harbors diverse insect species, including natural enemies, with higher species richness (4.8–5.2) and lower year-to-year variability. Organic management strategies such as neem oil, Beauveria bassiana, and Metarhizium robertsii demonstrated good efficacy against flea beetles without compromising yield, resulting in 39.76%, 39.39%, and 38.71% pest reduction over control, respectively. These biopesticides also recorded less than half to one-fourth reduction in natural predators like coccinellids compared to cypermethrin, a chemical pesticide (74%). The study suggests that, under projected climate change with higher temperatures, pest populations are assumed to increase. Considering the insect diversity of the eastern Himalayas, organic management strategies will be an adaptation strategy to conserve biodiversity while ensuring environment-friendly pest management.

The Himalayan food demography is a diverse resulting combination of the multi ethnic and multi-regional variations of the Hindu-Aryan and the Buddhist-Mongolian culture surrounding the area. The region’s food habit consists of smoked, dried and preserved food products. Their unique method of food preparation by using smoke has become an identifiable characteristic of their food culture. Studying these products can help to identify their market potential. This paper reviews the range of food products in the Eastern Himalayan region that are prepared by the method of smoke exposure, the benefits of consuming these smoked meat items, the proper procedure that should be taken in smoking of any food products and the modern scientific interventions that have come up in these modern times to make the smoking procedure easier and safer. The paper also studies the commercialization constraints faced in promoting these products to a global front and the strategies that can be adopted to overcome these constraints. The review highlights the nutritional, sensory and preservation advantages of the many ethnic smoked food products found in the Eastern Himalayan region. It analyzes both conventional and contemporary smoking methods, points out obstacles to commercialization and offers solutions including infrastructure development, market promotion and training to increase their economic potential and worldwide reach.

Poverty is one of the main issues in India, attracting the attention of sociologists, economists and political class equally. Government of India has been running many poverty-alleviation programmes and some success also achieved in this endeavour over the years. However, even today Governments struggle with mass level of poverty and related problems. Amidst great hype and hope, Indian parliament passed a revolutionary novel and unique Act i.e. National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) in 2005. Various institutions and individuals have documented the processes of revival and resurgence largely driven by the MGNREGA as an axis of struggle by the rural poor. It has neither been claimed nor was envisaged that that MGNREGA is the key to successful rej uvenation of rural areas of the country that have remained marginalized in the growth process of the country. Study on MGNREGA in Meghalaya is lacking, so therefore the present study was taken with the two objectives. 1. To evaluate the impact of MGNREGA on assets of the beneficiaries. 2. To evaluate the impact of MGNREGA on house construction of the beneficiaries. The primary data was collected from East Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya with pre-structured interview schedule. The study revealed that there was an increase in the number of households acquiring cell phones by 31.67 per cent after MGNREGA due to the increase in income. The number of households having television sets have increased by 8.33 per cent after working in MGNREGA and the number of households having radio sets have decreased by 1.67 per cent. On the basis of equality of income pertaining to both the beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries, the possession of assets like farm implements, television sets, radio, cell phones, poultry and pig is seen to have its advantage for the beneficiaries. With the introduction of the scheme the beneficiaries also have the advantage of house construction, repairing and extension which has increased by 50 per cent in the number of households after the scheme as compared prior to the scheme. It was evident from the findings that the rural households in the East Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya have been benefited from MGNREGA in many ways as it has increased their purchasing power resulting in multiple impacts in their social and economic life; however there is still a long way to fulfill the purpose and objectives of MGNREGA and ensure the livelihood security of the rural and tribal households.