Sayantani Deb
Guwahati: “Prokitir niyam kuneo bhangibo nuware,” no one can defy nature’s rules, Jiten Pegu, a farmer from Charigharia village in Assam’s Majuli district, said as he recalled the floods three years ago that submerged his Ahu rice crop.
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The deluge arrived earlier than usual, in mid-June, catching many farmers like Pegu off guard.
“Crop damage is not new to us. But that year, we could not even store enough to eat, let alone sell. It was an anxiety-filled time,” he told 101Reporters.
The year Pegu is talking about is 2022, when Assam faced three waves of devastating floods.
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According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority data, Majuli witnessed the first phase from early April to mid-June, the second from mid-June to mid-September, and the third in October.
“From May itself, we had barely stepped out,” he said. “By mid-June, the rains came down hard and submerged everything. We earlier thought we would be able to harvest in July, but we had no such luck. I lost over Rs 40,000 worth of crops.”
As the floodwaters rose, Pegu — like many in the Mising community, who traditionally live in chang ghars — took shelter in one such structure. People build a chang ghar, a traditional thatched stilt house of bamboo and wood, six to eight feet above the ground to withstand seasonal flooding.
Trapped inside with dwindling food supplies and no way to reach the fields, Pegu spent weeks watching the floodwaters swallow a year’s labour.
“That flood changed everything… I decided I did not want to go through this again,” he said.
Although he had previously experimented with the Boro variety of rice on a small patch of land, the 2022 floods convinced him to expand it across his entire 10-bigha farm.
“It was risky, but I believe it was the smartest decision I’ve taken,” he said.
Majuli’s fragile harmony
Majuli, the world’s largest inhabited river island, nestles in the Brahmaputra River and hosts diverse tribal communities, including the Mising, who have relied on rice farming for generations. The island’s fertile alluvial soil once made it ideal for cultivating traditional rice varieties like Ahu, Bao and Sali, integral not only to sustenance but to the region’s culture and identity.
But the harmony between people and land is under strain. Climate change has made rainfall erratic, floods unpredictable and erosion relentless, pushing the island’s agrarian systems into crisis.
“Every season has become increasingly uncertain,” said Sameeron Bhattacharjya, Agronomy Specialist at Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Jorhat. “The loss is not just economic but existential, threatening the very food security of the island.”
Erosion, in particular, is shrinking Majuli. “Year after year, erosion washed away acres of land. The island is shrinking like never before,” Bhattacharjya said.
Meanwhile, flooding patterns have changed.
Partha J Das, Head of the Water, Climate and Hazard Division at Aaranyak, said, “In recent years, floods in Assam have become more frequent and intense. Areas already prone to flooding are now experiencing more flood waves within a single season than before. Although these flood events tend to be shorter in duration, they are often more destructive.”
He attributed this increased severity to a combination of factors, including higher water discharge, faster flow velocity, greater flood depth and level, wider areas of inundation, and prolonged waterlogging. “This pattern suggests that intense or extreme rainfall events, phenomena increasingly linked to climate change, are now triggering floods,” he added.
Bhattacharjya added, “Earlier, rain mostly came during June-July. But now we’re seeing heavy showers in April during Bohag Bihu or in October during Durga Puja…Even when floods don’t come during Bihu, they often do during Puja, and this unpredictability is affecting every sector.”
For many farmers, Boro rice cultivation, traditionally a minor crop, is emerging as a survival strategy. Sown in winter and harvested before the monsoon, Boro allows farmers to sidestep the increasingly violent floods that come after summer.
River pattern changes are also adding to this conundrum, explained river and climate expert Keshab Krishna Chatradhar. “Rivers flowing from the north and east naturally erode their southern banks, shifting southward. Erratic rainfall and meltwater from upstream in Tibet are now accelerating this, though it was always happening.”
This southward shift and increased volume complicate flood cycles and make protective infrastructure less reliable.
“Majuli’s geography further heightens its vulnerability as it lies downstream of the Brahmaputra’s fast-flowing tributaries like Dihang, Lohit, and Dibang. Over 100 wetlands also dot the river island, amplifying water retention and reducing damage during flood events.”
“Flood prediction is becoming increasingly difficult,” Chatradhar added.
The 2022 floods affected 93 villages and over 17,400 people in Majuli alone, according to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority data. “Flooding isn’t new,” said Chatradhar, “but the scale of destruction is.”
A new seed
Pegu’s decision to switch to Boro rice reflects a larger trend across Majuli, where hundreds of farmers across 15 village panchayats have begun to shift their cropping pattern in response to erratic weather and frequent floods. Rough estimates indicate over 200 hectares are under Boro rice in the region.
Among the early adopters are Debapani Doley and her daughter-in-law, Punyun Chara Doley, from Kaibarta Gaon. At sunrise, the two head to the fields wearing their husbands’ shirts, cultivating Boro rice across their 4 bighas of land. With their husbands working in furniture workshops and having little interest in farming, the women decided to take agriculture into their own hands.
“Instead of only doing household work, we thought, why not try farming? Now we earn and contribute to the family income,” said Debapani.
They chose Boro rice for its higher productivity — up to 3.5 tons per hectare compared to the 2-2.5 tons from traditional Ahu or Bao varieties. The women are now exploring multi-cropping and crop rotation to further increase returns.
Another testimony comes from Monu Kumari Pegu and her husband Rajib, who turned to Boro rice after suffering heavy losses during the 2022 floods.
“Our children were small then. I remember us going to bed hungry for days so they could eat whatever little we had,” Monu Kumari recalled. “One morning, I stepped out to check the field and found it completely underwater. We had worked so hard, and it was all gone.”
Fortunately, they had stored 150 kg of rice from a previous harvest, which sustained them. They sold half and earned around Rs 2,000. The experience pushed them to rethink their approach.
Today, on 2.5 bighas, the couple grows around 1,000 kg of Boro rice. They consume half and sell the rest in Pokajora, earning over Rs 1 lakh annually, from an initial investment of Rs 50,000: mainly for seeds, a power tiller and pesticide and insecticide sprays.
Boro is a long-grain, non-aromatic variety. In Pokajora, the Majuli district administration operates a godown where most farmers first bring their harvest. From there, the rice is stocked and then transported across Assam, the Northeast, and even to other parts of India. Since Majuli lacks a formal local market structure, many farmers also rely on daily bazaars in nearby areas like Kamalabari, Garmur, and Bongaon to sell their produce.
According to agronomist Bhattacharjya, Boro rice thrives in low-lying areas with good water retention, typically between November and March, which is before the monsoons begin. It also benefits from residual soil moisture post the kharif season, making it ideal for Majuli’s geography.
“Boro is an irrigated crop, and its water use is more controlled. It’s less prone to pest attacks and yields more. With improved water management and subsidies for technologies like shallow and deep tube wells, farmers are now coping much better,” he explained.
“Earlier, the fear was not just about crop loss but about food security. Now with Boro, even if floodwater surrounds their homes, they have rice stored and income from earlier harvests.”
The shift to Boro rice, however, is not without its challenges. “It sounds simple, but it needs careful water management and focus on supplemental irrigation,” agronomist Bhattacharjya said.
Though Boro is known for its systematic water management, it is also a winter crop that demands more water than traditional varieties. As a result, careful irrigation planning becomes essential, especially in a region like Majuli where rainfall is unpredictable and groundwater access can vary.
“Which is why it’s both systematic and challenging,” he explained.
Despite this, Bhattacharjya sees the transformation as a collective success. “It’s the people of Majuli who have made this shift possible, not just by adapting, but by innovating, sharing, and growing together.”
Beyond Boro
The climate adversity in Majuli has not only altered farming patterns like the shift to Boro rice, but also led to some interesting community-led innovations in agriculture.
In the flood-hit village of Mohorichuk, Dipak Doley has turned adversity into innovation by creating floating gardens on the Brahmaputra. Inspired by YouTube videos showing farmers in Barpeta and other regions growing vegetables on water, Dipak decided to experiment. “I invested around Rs 16,000-Rs 17,000,” he said.
The gardens are built entirely from local materials. For the frame, Dipak used bamboo poles tied with coconut rope. On top, he layered cut water hyacinth around 6-7 inches thick, followed by 4-5 inches of soil mixed with vermicompost, placed inside grow bags. Each float, about 10-15 metres long and 1 metre wide, can hold up to 25 grow bags. With help from family and friends, he built two floats a day and now grows Bhoot Jholokia, lettuce, cabbage, strawberry, and ridge gourd organically.
“Floating gardens are a huge relief for flood-prone areas. They ensure food even when land is submerged,” Dipak said.
Chiranjit Chatterjee of SAFE, who piloted floating gardens in Majuli in 2017, said, “It’s a low-cost, climate-resilient farming method offering both food and financial security.” The soil mix made up of vermicompost, sawdust and light soil keeps the produce 90% organic, boosting market value.
When floods destroy traditional fields, floating gardens remain unaffected, offering a steady food supply and income, he added.