Guwahati, Nov 24: Soil health in Nagaland’s Dhansiripar region is deteriorating at an alarming pace due to changing land-use practices, a new multi-institutional study has found. Researchers say the shift from forested land to agriculture and urban development is driving soil acidity, declining fertility and heightened erosion — threatening both local food security and environmental stability.
Scientists from Nagaland University led the assessment across six villages — Amaluma, Dhansiripar, Doyapur, Kiyeto, Melongmen and Razhaphe — evaluating key soil properties such as pH, organic carbon, water-holding capacity and nutrient levels. Farmers surveyed also reported increasing concerns about shrinking yields and land degradation.
“This study reveals rapid soil degradation in Dhansiripar. We urge immediate adoption of sustainable land-management practices to safeguard agricultural productivity and environmental health,” Nagaland University Vice Chancellor Prof. Jagadish K Patnaik said in a statement.
Published in the international journal Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, the research was conducted in collaboration with scientists from ICAR–Indian Agricultural Statistics Research Institute, University of California San Francisco, Dibrugarh University, Tocklai Tea Research Institute and Diphu Medical College & Hospital.
The team compared soil characteristics across lowland paddy fields, cultivated plots, orchards and forest areas using advanced statistical tools. Strongly to moderately acidic conditions (pH 4.9–5.9), wide fluctuations in organic carbon (0.45–3.69%), and variations in macronutrient availability were recorded, indicating the need for land-use-specific soil conservation strategies.
Co-author Prof. Manoj Dutta said the detailed comparison of multiple land-use systems “provides insights often missing from contemporary studies,” while Prof. Tanmoy Karak warned that paddy zones showed signs of structural instability, making them particularly vulnerable to erosion.
PhD Scholar Reshinaro Tzudir noted the “alarming susceptibility” of regional soils to fertility loss, calling for “innovative, sustainable management strategies.”
Dr Ranjit Kumar Paul from ICAR-IASRI said the robust analytical approach strengthens conclusions linking soil degradation to shifting land-use patterns.
The researchers say Dhansiripar has been largely understudied despite its ecological and agricultural importance. They now plan long-term monitoring, policy engagement, and greater involvement of local communities — including integration of traditional knowledge — to support sustainable farming and land-use planning in the region.
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