Roots of Resilience: Indigenous Naga farming traditions revitalising their lands

While promising higher yields and profits, modern farming methods are destroying the lands Indigenous peoples have protected for generations. These intensive farming techniques are depleting water from the soil, reducing its fertility, and yielding low food production. Formal educational systems encourage people to move away to big cities for work, and Naga children and young adults forget traditional farming practices. Indigenous elders are calling for the youth to reintroduce field rotation practices, cultivating the fields for 2 years and then letting them rest for 20 to 30 years. Using manure and banana stems nourishes the soil, and planting ‘Tumuyu Trees’ around water sources prevents the soil from drying up. Modern agricultural practices are exacerbating biodiversity loss and species extinction, making the entire ecosystem less resilient and vulnerable to droughts, pests, biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse. On the other hand, Indigenous farming practices produce abundant yields and foster biodiversity in entire ecosystems. This film was made as part of a participatory video workshop series with Naga youth, facilitated by our Indigenous partner Akole Wekoweu, in Autumn 2025. We are proud to have supported the film production remotely. Find more of us here: 🌱Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/gI132D 🌱Instagram: / insight_share 🌱LinkedIn: / insightshare 🌱YouTube: / insightshare 🌱Facebook: / insightshareuk