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Khasi farmers are reviving traditional farming systems by reducing chemical use and restoring indigenous crops and practices.
Chemical-intensive chilli cultivation improved yields initially but led to soil degradation, biodiversity loss and declining farm productivity.
Mixed cropping, composting and local seed conservation are helping rebuild soil health and ecological balance.
The shift towards agroecology is strengthening climate resilience while supporting Meghalaya's organic farming goals.
Across the pine-covered slopes of Eastern West Khasi Hills district in Meghalaya, chilli cultivation once symbolised agricultural modernisation. Hybrid varieties such as Arka Meghana F1, HM-2880 and INDAM-5 were introduced to meet growing market demand. Farmers adopted chemical fertilisers, pesticides and insecticides to increase production, and chilli soon became an important cash crop.
But the gains came at a cost.
Over time, farmers began noticing that soils were losing moisture, earthworms were disappearing and water sources were drying up during summer months. Pest attacks increased, while yields stagnated despite rising expenditure on external inputs.
"Earlier, the soil remained black, porous and alive," recalled 54-year-old farmer Tebalin L Nongbri from the Nongsohma village. "After years of chemical farming, the land started becoming hard and dry. On steep hill slopes, farming became challenging.”
For generations, Khasi communities practised jhum or shifting cultivation, a farming system that was diverse, adaptive and closely connected with local ecosystems.
Unlike monoculture farming, jhum fields supported a rich mix of traditional crops including chilli, maize, millet, beans, cucurbits, colocasia, yam and vegetables. These mixed farming systems ensured food security while helping maintain soil fertility, moisture and biodiversity.
Traditional farming knowledge evolved over centuries through close observation of forests, rainfall patterns, soils and seasonal cycles. Farming was integrated with livestock, forests and local food systems, forming a broader socio-ecological landscape.
However, over the past two decades, many parts of Meghalaya have witnessed a shift towards market-oriented cash crop cultivation. The rapid expansion of broom grass and commercial crops has altered farming landscapes and reduced crop diversity.
Local farmers increasingly describe this transition as a form of ‘ecological monocropping’, a gradual replacement of diverse farming systems with a narrow set of market-driven crops.
As farming diversity declined, so did local seed varieties, traditional soil management practices and ecological knowledge passed down through generations.
At Nonglang village, chilli cultivation takes place beneath scattered pine trees on steep slopes. Farmer Biangtilin Mawblei recollected how chemical-intensive agriculture was promoted as a solution for increasing productivity. While hybrid chillies initially produced higher yields, ecological problems soon emerged.
"We cultivate hybrid chilli mainly for the market," she said. "For household consumption, we still prefer traditional varieties because they are healthier and better adapted to local conditions."
Her husband, Harjon Kharthangmaw, pointed to another challenge.
"Heavy rainfall on exposed hill slopes accelerated soil erosion. Chemical runoff affected nearby water bodies. Repeated use of fertilisers and pesticides reduced soil health and affected many plants and insects that once protected the land."
Pollinators also became less visible.
"Earlier, our fields were full of insects, butterflies and bees," said Kharthangmaw. "After years of spraying chemicals, the fields often became silent."
The return to ecological farming has been gradual.
Faced with rising cultivation costs and declining soil health, farmers began reducing chemical use and reviving traditional practices. Compost prepared from livestock dung, crop residues and locally available biomass started replacing synthetic fertilisers.
Meghalaya is home to several indigenous chilli varieties with unique flavours, heat levels and cultural significance. The famed King Chilli (Bhut Jolokia), one of the world's hottest peppers, is valued for its medicinal properties, including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits. The tiny Bird's Eye Chilli packs intense heat and is widely used in local cuisines and pickles. The Synteng Hot Chilli, traditionally grown by the Synteng community in the Jaintia Hills, is prized for its exceptional pungency, rich aroma and deep cultural heritage.
Many farmers are now cultivating local chilli varieties without chemical inputs. Instead of growing chilli as a standalone crop, they are integrating beans, cucumber, maize, turmeric, ginger, colocasia and vegetables within the same fields.
This transition is being supported under the JIVA programme in the Kynrud landscape. Implemented by the North East India Committee on Relief and Development (NEICORD) with support from the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development, the initiative receives technical support from Watershed Support Services and Activity Network in collaboration with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit.
According to Bantei Syiem, a young farmer and project supervisor with NEICORD, farmers across villages such as Kynrud, Nongsohma, Nonglang, Uming, Belkhariang, Maweitkhli and Mawiong Jadap are rebuilding farming systems with a focus on soil health, local seed systems, biomass recycling and nutrition-sensitive agriculture.
The programme is also developing Internal Farmer Resource Persons who can promote farmer-to-farmer learning and expand agroecological practices across the landscape.
Rather than depending on purchased inputs, farmers are increasingly experimenting with locally available resources and nature-based solutions. The approach aims to strengthen the relationships between forests, livestock, farming systems, food production and local enterprises.
At a broader level, these efforts contribute to an agroecological transformation in which agriculture is viewed as part of a living ecological landscape.
This shift also aligns with Meghalaya's State Organic and Natural Farming Policy (2023) and the State Organic Mission (2024-2028), which aim to bring 100,000 hectares under certified organic cultivation by 2028.
As climate variability intensifies across the Northeast region, many researchers and practitioners are revisiting indigenous farming systems for lessons in resilience.
Diversified farming systems help improve soil health, conserve moisture and support biodiversity. They also reduce farmers' dependence on costly external inputs while strengthening food and livelihood security.
In Meghalaya's fragile hill ecosystems, these benefits are particularly significant.
Farmers are increasingly adopting practices such as mulching, mixed cropping, intercropping, local seed conservation and biomass recycling to reduce soil erosion and improve soil moisture retention. Many have also introduced nitrogen-fixing crops such as sohphlang (Flemingia vestita) and legumes like French beans, along with vegetative barriers including Khasi pine (Pinus kesiya), bhabar grass (Eulaliopsis binata) and creeping bamboo species (Melocanna baccifera and Bambusa spp.) to minimise runoff and protect fields during heavy rainfall.
According to Nongbri, these practices are helping restore the ecological functions of farming landscapes while improving resilience to climate shocks.
Mawblei points out another advantage. "The shade from pine trees creates a unique microclimate that helps conserve moisture during dry periods. Chilli grown under these conditions often develops better taste, aroma and resilience."
For Khasi farmers, the transition to natural farming is much more than reducing chemical use.
It is an effort to restore degraded soils, revive local knowledge systems and rebuild ecological relationships between forests, water, biodiversity and agriculture.
As climate change places increasing pressure on mountain ecosystems, many farmers believe the future of agriculture lies in restoring living soils and resilient landscapes.
Beneath Meghalaya's pine-covered hills, chilli fields tell a story of how farming is once again becoming part of nature. Ahead of World Environment Day, that story offers an important reminder: Ecosystem restoration can begin with something as small as a seed, a handful of compost and a farmer's decision to bring life back to the soil.
Monuhar Pegu works as a regional coordinator of northeast India for Watershed Support Services and Activities Network (WASSAN), Kaziranga, Assam. Views expressed are the author’s own and don’t necessarily reflect those of Down To Earth.