The state of Mizoram has plenty of natural capital in the form of a feasible climate, rich forest, an abundance of water and rich agroecological conditions. However, this capital is not exploited optimally to help the rural people plagued by acute food insecurity there. This study assesses the potential of the natural capital there for creating sustainable rural livelihoods in Mizoram. The analysis has been performed based on the case studies conducted in 16 villages, 2 villages from each district. A total of 1,527 households were surveyed using a purposive random sampling method. A structured questionnaire was designed where the questions were asked to gather information on climate conditions, forests, water and agriculture. The findings reveal that the optimum use of natural capital will enhance rural livelihoods substantially. Tourism development, the establishment of forest-based small-scale industries in rural areas, rainwater harvesting, construction of micro hydroelectricity power projects, and cultivation of diverse crop races/cultivars, including food grains, vegetables and fruits, along with systematic rice intensification in the suitable agroecological zones can bring a momentum to expedite rural livelihoods there.
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