What is swidden agriculture describe its main features?

[3] Main features of Swidden agriculture are as follows : [i] Parts of forest are cut and burnt in rotation. [ii] Seeds are sown in the ashes after the first monsoon rains. [iii] Such plots are cultivated for a couple of years and then left fallow for 12 to 18 years for the forest to grow back.

Hereof, what does swidden agriculture mean?

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.

Subsequently, question is, is swidden agriculture sustainable? It is generally considered as a more sustainable and agro-ecologically diverse practice. On the other hand, 'partial, incipient swidden' was thought to be practised mostly by migrant farmers, with less cultural connection and more focus on short-term economic returns.

Also to know is, what is swidden agriculture where is it practiced?

It is commonly known as slash and burn agriculture. It was practised in North America, South Asia Brazil, Siberian and many other places across the globe. Usually, the crops are grown and cut then the remaining land is burnt.

What is shifting cultivation in short answer?

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.

28 Related Question Answers Found

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.

What is mean by slash and burn agriculture?

Slash and burn is a method of farming that involves clearing land by destroying and burning all the trees and plants on it, farming there for a short time, and then moving on to clear a new piece of land. Traditional slash and burn farming methods have exhausted the soil.

What are the benefits of slash and burn agriculture?

When done properly, slash and burn agriculture provides communities with a source of food and income. Slash and burn allows people to farm in places where it usually is not possible because of dense vegetation, soil infertility, low soil nutrient content, uncontrollable pests, or other reasons.

Is slash and burn agriculture good or bad?

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 do you mean by shifting agriculture?

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. In some areas, cultivators use a practice of slash-and-burn as one element of their farming cycle.

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.

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.

Why is shifting cultivation practiced?

Shifting cultivation systems are designed to adapt to the soil and climatic characteristics of the Amazon basin- low soil fertility, high precipitation, and fast leaching of nutrients.

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.

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 are the types of shifting cultivation?

The different forms of shifting cultivation described include slash-and-burn type of shifting cultivation, the chitemene system, the Hmong system, shifting cultivation cycle in the Orinoco floodplain, the slash-mulch system, and the plough-in-slash system.

What do you mean by truck farming?

Definition of truck farming. : the production of crops of some vegetables on an extensive scale in regions especially suited to their culture primarily for shipment to distant markets — compare market gardening.

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 crop rotation called?

Crop rotation is the practice of growing a series of dissimilar or different types of crops in the same area in sequenced seasons. It is done so that the soil of farms is not used for only one set of nutrients. It helps in reducing soil erosion and increases soil fertility and yield crop.

What does subsistence farming mean?

Subsistence agriculture occurs when farmers grow food crops to meet the needs of themselves and their families. The typical subsistence farm has a range of crops and animals needed by the family to feed and clothe themselves during the year.

Which region is shifting cultivation A prominent form of agriculture?

Swidden or shifting cultivation is an agricultural system practiced mainly in the tropics and very prevalent in Indonesia (Angelsen 1995. Shifting cultivation and “deforestation”: a study from Indonesia.