Livelihood And Sustainable Development In North East India

Papers presented at theNational Seminar on Natural Resources and Tribal Communities in Northeast India, held at Pasighat during 7-8 February 2006.

This book covers themes related to the geosphere, biosphere, sociosphere and ecosphere dealing with changing geographical, environmental and socio-economic realities to plan a sustainable future for the northeast region (NER) of India. The NER consists of eight states—Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Meghalaya and Sikkim—and they carry political, economic and social importance. The book integrates the past, present and future of geospheric attributes incorporating progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to meet the demands for improving human wellbeing under diverse and challenging socio-economic, political and environmental conditions. The key SDGs, as in food and agriculture, health, education, water, energy and other overarching goals of the region, have yet to incorporate providing sustainable jobs and promoting equality and inclusive development, although there have been a few studies in that regard. The challenges to achieve SDGs in the NER are formidable compared to the rest of India. The NER has put a great deal of effort into achieving the SDGs, mainly in poverty (SDG-1), good health (SDG-3), education (SDG-4), gender (SDG-5), decent work (SDG-8) and reduced inequalities (SDG-10), similar to the rest of the country. However, the standard development indicators such as road length, access to health care, power consumption and other measures are far below the national average. A multi-pronged strategy has played a pivotal role in the region, but development strategy to attain the SDGs 2030 must be more inclusive in empowering people with maximising self-governance, considering the resources, needs and aspirations of the people. This book evaluates the performance of the SDGs and fills in the gaps. It includes case studies focusing on different SDGs using advanced cartographic, statistical and GIS techniques and methods. It also provides unique findings that serve as valuable resources for planners and policy-makers so that a sustainable future in Northeast India can be achieved.

This Book Explores The Ways To Address The Problem Of Deterioration Of Bio-Cultural Diversity In North East Indian In The Name Of Development. It Discusses At Length The Linkage Between Environmental Quality And Economic Growth.

Sustainable development is the buzz word today used in all development strategies and policy formulations. The book aims to study the development that is taking place toady, whether it takes really to growth or something else. The growth and development strategy must be people oriented, it must promote the living standard, reduce the gap between the rich and the poor and most importantly it should keep the environment intact otherwise the development is not going to sustain. The poor human life is more dependent on the environmental resources. Thus the development policy must keep strict eye on agriculture which is the mainstay of 75% people, human development and environment.The book aims to study- 1.To evaluate the various determinants of sustainable rural development 2.To study the importance of natural resource in sustainable livelihood of the people 3.To study the inter-relationship of agriculture, environment and human development To study the performance of health sector in North-East as compared to India 4.To analyse the inter-state disparity of health status among North-East states. 5.To analyse the health environment and living conditions that determine rural development. 6.To analyze the multidimensional poverty in relation to sustainable agriculture and human development 7.To analyse the rural-urban disparity that exists in women and reproductive health care. 8.To study the rural-urban disparity in child health care.

This book presents a socio-economic and livelihood analysis of agriculturally-dependent communities of Mizoram, the eastern extension of the Himalaya, using the sustainable livelihood approach. Such an approach to poverty reduction is inevitable, particularly, in areas where livelihoods depend largely on biomass-based agriculture and livestock production. Mizoram possesses abundant natural resources – land, water and forest – but those resources are largely unused. The region suffers from chronic poverty and malnutrition, and climate change has further influenced livelihood patterns. This work studies all the aspects of natural potentials and livelihood status in Mizoram. It also discusses the major driving forces that influence livelihood patterns. Based on a detailed analysis of empirical data, several policy measures are suggested to cope with chronic poverty and malnutrition. The book is therefore highly useful for all stakeholders; students, researchers, academicians, policy makers and politicians involved in rural/community development.

With increasing concern of human being on the issue sustainability, the interpretation has also become a fanciful exercise. The issue sustainability can be understood from two perspectives, the first one is reductive approach, second is the holistic approach.

Contributed papers presented at a Seminar on Challenges of Development in North-East India organized by ICSSR North Eastern Regional Centre at Shillong.