Bearing the Brunt of Climate Change in Eastern Himalayas: Conserving the Traditional Food Systems of Nagaland, India

Food system as we know operates within and is influenced by social, political, economic and environment factors. Amidst hunger, deforestation, biodiversity loss and climate change, sustainable food system is one of the global challenges the policy makers are confronted with. The food systems used by the indigenous people are considered to be among the world’s most sustainable food systems when it comes to avoiding waste and adaption to the season. Climate change has not only affected the climate pattern worldwide but also in the food systems across continents including the traditional food systems. The traditional food systems which are an outcome of locally produced resources have cultural roots attached to it. Nagaland, which is one of the eighteen Himalayan states in India. A northern extension of Arakan Yoma system, it is rich in flora and fauna. It is home to number of indigenous communities. The traditional food system of Nagaland is made up of rice, vegetables and meat. It has been reported, the impact of climate change in Nagaland has led to the witnessing of warmer summers and harsher winters leading to reduction in food production and the infestation of pests. The productivity is estimated to decrease in years to come paving a way for some alternative measures with sustainability and food security as the key areas of concern. Hence, the focal objective of this paper will be to see the effects of climate change on the traditional food systems of Nagaland and also the measures adopted by the government, if any, to tackle this issue. The paper will be built on the arguments based on the available primary and secondary sources.