Factors influencing farmers' adoption of slash and burn agriculture in North East India

The influence of factors on farmers' adoption of slash and burn agriculture in North East India are analysed in this paper. The practice possesses a significant ecological threat to the society and is acute in the hilly areas of North East India. In 2005–06, the area under such practice in North East India was estimated at 8771.62 sq km, which was about 86% of the total slash and burn area of the country. The practice is influenced by a host of factors such as personal, social, economic, institutional, and physical. In this study, age of the respondent, primary occupation, annual per capita income, present area under cultivation, common practice of slash and burn agriculture in the locality, farmers' perceptions, and access to credit are found to have statistically significant impact on the adoption of slash and burn agriculture. The findings throw some light to combat slash and burn agriculture in the region. They suggest for proactive role of government departments, NGOs, self-help group, etc., to reduce slash and burn agriculture. Resource endowment is also an important concern and policy makers should emphasise on extending institutional support to the farmers to reduce such practices in the region.

► Slash and burn agriculture is acute in the hilly areas of North East India.
► We analyse the influence of factors on farmers' adoption of slash and burn agriculture using a logit model.
► The practice is influenced by personal, social, economic, institutional, and physical factors.
► Role of institutions is also crucial to combat slash and burn agriculture.