Nagaland revives ‘Living Morung’ model to counter extractive agriculture through indigenous agroecology and community-led conservation
Original framing: “Programme on ‘Living Morung’ held at Old Showuba Village” — bing news
The ‘Living Morung’ is a sacred grove-cum-community learning center in Naga tradition, where elders transmit agroecological knowledge, seed conservation, and ecological ethics across generations. Unlike Western scientific reductionism, this model treats farming as a spiritual and social practice, integrating biodiversity with cultural identity. Its revival challenges the commodification of seeds and land, asserting indigenous epistemologies as foundational to ecological balance. However, its institutionalization risks being stripped of its radical roots if co-opted by state or corporate interests.
The revival of the ‘Living Morung’ in Nagaland is a microcosm of a global struggle between indigenous epistemologies and extractive development models.
Historically, colonial and post-colonial policies dismantled these systems to serve agribusiness and state control, a pattern repeated across the Global South, from the Amazon to the Andes. Scientifically, the model’s resilience is proven, yet it remains marginalized in policy circles dominated by Western agricultural science and corporate interests. The programme’s state-led framing risks co-opting indigenous knowledge for cultural tourism rather than empowering communities to reclaim their food systems. True transformation requires decolonizing agricultural policy, centering marginalized voices—especially women—and scaling indigenous solutions through cross-border solidarity. Only then can the ‘Living Morung’ transcend preservation to become a catalyst for systemic change in the face of climate collapse.