Agriculture in Northeast India is broadly divided into two primary types based on the region's physical and topographic features: 1. Shifting Cultivation (Jhum / Slash-and-Burn) • Where it is practiced: Widely practiced by tribal communities across the hilly and mountainous regions, including Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram, Meghalaya, the hill areas of Manipur and southern Assam, and mountain areas of Tripura. • How it works: A patch of forest or natural vegetation is cleared (usually in winter), dried, and burned (in early spring). Farmers sow a diverse mix of food crops (such as upland rice, millets, maize, and vegetables) for a few seasons until soil fertility drops, after which the land is left fallow to naturally regenerate. • Characteristics: It is a rain-fed, zero-tillage subsistence system deeply tied to local indigenous culture, festivals, and food security. 2. Settled or Plains Agriculture • Where it is practiced: Found in the fertile alluvial plains and river valleys, such as the Brahmaputra Valley in Assam , the Barak Valley, the Imphal Valley in Manipur, and select plain or lower-slope zones across Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh. • How it works: Permanent, sedentary plow cultivation uses fixed land plots rather than rotating fields. • Crops grown: Rice is the primary staple crop (featuring different varieties like Sali, Aus, Boro, and Bao), alongside commercial and plantation crops like tea (especially in Assam), rubber, areca nut, and various tropical/temperate fruits and vegetables.