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The Zabo system, an indigenous method of water harvesting combined with rice cultivation, is practised in which state?
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Answer: Option C — Nagaland
Detailed Solution
Zabo is a traditional, integrated system of farming and water conservation practised in Nagaland, especially in Kikruma village of the Phek district, by the Chakhesang Naga community. It is also known as the "Ruza" system.
Meaning of the name:
"Zabo" means "impounding water" in the local Chakhesang dialect.
How the Zabo system works:
- It combines forest, water harvesting, animal husbandry and rice cultivation on a hill slope.
- Forest at the top: the hilltop is kept under forest cover, which protects the catchment, reduces erosion and helps rainwater soak into the ground.
- Water harvesting ponds: rainwater flowing down the slope is collected in silt-retention tanks and earthen ponds dug on the terraced hillside.
Cattle yards: below the ponds are cattle enclosures. Water from the ponds passes through these yards, picking up animal dung and urine, which act as natural manure.
Paddy fields at the bottom: the nutrient-rich water then flows into the terraced rice fields at the foot of the slope, fertilising them.
Advantages:
- It conserves soil and water on steep slopes.
- It recycles nutrients naturally and reduces the need for chemical fertilisers.
- It is sustainable and based on community cooperation and traditional knowledge.
Other indigenous farming systems of north-eastern India:
- Apatani system (Arunachal Pradesh): wet rice cultivation combined with fish farming, using an elaborate network of water channels in the Ziro valley.
- Bamboo drip irrigation (Meghalaya): water carried through bamboo pipes to betel leaf and pepper plantations.
- Jhum: shifting cultivation practised widely in the region.
- Phumdis (Manipur): floating mats of vegetation on Loktak Lake, which support the Keibul Lamjao National Park, the only floating national park in the world.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Mizoram is known mainly for jhum cultivation and bamboo.
- ✗Manipur is known for Loktak Lake and its phumdis.
- ✗Tripura is known for rubber, bamboo and pineapple, not the Zabo system.
Quick tip
Remember: Zabo (Ruza) = Nagaland (Kikruma, Phek district): forest, ponds, cattle yard and paddy fields in one system; Apatani = Arunachal; bamboo drip = Meghalaya.
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This question tests your understanding of Agriculture in India, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers agriculture in India: cropping seasons (kharif, rabi and zaid), major food and cash crops and their leading producer states, irrigation, the Green, White, Blue and other agricultural revolutions, and allied activities such as animal husbandry and fisheries. Questions usually ask which crop belongs to which season, which state is the largest producer of a crop, and which revolution relates to which product. For example, the White Revolution relates to milk and was led by Verghese Kurien, and the Blue Revolution relates to fisheries. Producer rankings can change from year to year, so check the latest data for those questions. Practise the agriculture in India questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.