What does the term Swidden refer to?

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Swidden agriculture, also known as shifting cultivation, refers to a technique of rotational farming in which land is cleared for cultivation (normally by fire) and then left to regenerate after a few years.



Considering this, why is shifting farming so called?

Shifting cultivation, also known as the slash and burn agriculture (Jhum cultivation), is the process of growing crops by first clearing the land of trees and vegetation and burning them thereafter. The burnt soil contains potash which increases the nutrient content of the soil.

Additionally, what does Swidden mean in geography? swidden. a patch of land cleared for planting through slashing and burning.

Also question is, where is swidden agriculture practiced?

Swidden agriculture, also referred to as slash and burn farming or shifting cultivation, and known as 'kaingin' in the Philippines, has been practiced for centuries in the Philippines.

What is an example of Swidden?

Swidden, also called shifting agriculture, is the intermittent clearing of forests in order to grow staple food crops. He said that moving from swidden agriculture to other land uses, for example, monoculture plantations, mostly increases farmers' incomes and give them more access to health and education.

31 Related Question Answers Found

What is shifting cultivation Class 7?

Trees and bushes in a forest area are first cut and burnt. The crop is sown in the ashes. When this land loses its fertility, another plot of land is cleared and planted in the same way. This is known as shifting cultivation.

What is shifting cultivation Class 8?

Shifting cultivation is a form of agriculture which involves clearing of a plot of land by cutting of trees and burning them. The ashes are then mixed with the soil and crops are grown. After the land has lost its fertility, it is abandoned. The farmers then move to a new place.

Why is shifting cultivation bad?

The shifting cultivation is considered devastating and disadvantageous as it not only cause harm to the ecosystem but also exerts negative impacts on economy. On the contrary, many studies concluded that tribals or practitioners of shifting cultivation are part of conservation.

What is shifting agriculture in short?

Shifting cultivation is an agricultural system in which plots of land are cultivated temporarily, then abandoned and allowed to revert to their natural vegetation while the cultivator moves on to another plot.

What is shifting cultivation in points?

Shifting cultivation is an agricultural system in which a person uses a piece of land, only to abandon or alter the initial use a short time later. This system often involves clearing of a piece of land followed by several years of wood harvesting or farming until the soil loses fertility.

What is green revolution?

Definition of green revolution. : the great increase in production of food grains (such as rice and wheat) due to the introduction of high-yielding varieties, to the use of pesticides, and to better management techniques.

What is Taungya system?

The taungya is a system whereby villagers and sometimes forest plantation workers are given the right to cultivate agricultural crops during the early stages of forest plantation establishment. Cultivation is often allowed to continue until trees shade crops due to canopy closure.

Who uses shifting cultivation?

Shifting cultivation. Shifting cultivation is an agricultural system in which a person uses a piece of land, only to abandon or alter the initial use a short time later. This system often involves clearing of a piece of land followed by several years of wood harvesting or farming until the soil loses fertility.

What do you mean by swidden agriculture?

Swidden agriculture, also known as shifting cultivation, refers to a technique of rotational farming in which land is cleared for cultivation (normally by fire) and then left to regenerate after a few years.

Does burning land make it more fertile?

Soil fertility can increase after low intensity fires since fire chemically converts nutrients bound in dead plant tissues and the soil surface to more available forms or the fire indirectly increases mineralization rates through its impacts on soil microorganisms (Schoch and Binkley 1986).

When was slash and burn introduced?

Slash-and-burn agriculture was initially practiced by European pioneers in North America such as Daniel Boone and his family, who cleared land in the Appalachian Mountains during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

Why is slash and burn sustainable?

Slash-and-burn agroecosystems are important to rural poor and indigenous peoples in the developing world. Ecologically sound slash-and-burn agriculture is sustainable because it does not depend upon outside inputs based on fossil energy for fertilizers, pesticides and irrigation.

What does intensive farming mean?

Intensive farming or intensive agriculture is a kind of agriculture where a lot of money and labour are used to increase the yield that can be obtained per area of land. The use of large amounts of pesticides for crops, and of medication for animal stocks is common.

What is the meaning of terrace farming?

Terrace farming is a method of farming that consists of different "steps" or terraces that were developed in various places around the world. This method of farming uses "steps" that are built into the side of a mountain or hill. On each level, various crops are planted.

Where is shifting cultivation practiced?

Shifting cultivation, also referred to as slash-and-burn cultivation, is a system practiced mostly in wetter miombo woodlands, the most extensive ecoregion in the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

Where does shifting cultivation occur?

Shifting cultivation is a traditional, sustainable method of agriculture which has been practised by indigenous tribes for centuries. It occurs in areas of the Amazon rainforest, Central and West Africa and Indonesia.

What is extensive system?

Extensive farming or extensive agriculture (as opposed to intensive farming) is an agricultural production system that uses small inputs of labor, fertilizers, and capital, relative to the land area being farmed.