Jhum Cultivation in Relation to Slope Pattern and Elevation in Phek District of Northeast India

Abstract

This study adds to scientific understanding of how slope and elevation influence jhum cultivation in hilly regions. The site selection often starts before December. From late January to late March, all forest cutting and preparations for a burn must be completed before the monsoon. Later on, dibbling and spreading of seeds began. Due to the rugged topography, it is quite prevalent, providing an opportunity to examine the slope patterns and elevations of Phek district in relation to jhum cultivation, specifically the extent of area covered under various slope degrees and elevations. Supervised Classification utilizing the Maximum Likelihood algorithm was employed for the detection of jhum areas in land use and land cover analysis.  The jhum area was exported and underwent post-classification for data rectification and miss classification in ArcGIS Pro. The slope and elevation map was created using ALOS DEM and processed in GIS software. Jhum cultivation is ideal in the study location with a slope degree of 20-40˚, the field covered by this degree measures 3824.46 hectares, over half of the cultivation in Phek region takes place at elevations of 1000–1500 meters.  This study contributes to ecological research on deforestation causes and provides practical suggestions for soil erosion conservation, sustainable agriculture, and regional land-use planning in Northeastern India.