Many of us do not know what is shifting cultivation what are its disadvantage, so, today we will discuss on this topic. So instead of looking elsewhere for this answer, stay here, and read the post completely, you will get the answer.
Agriculture is the art and science of cultivating soil, growing crops, fruits, vegetables, flowers, and rearing livestock. It has the practice of plant and animal products for the people to use and their distribution to markets. Moreover, ⅔ of the Indian population is dependent on agriculture.
Agriculture is basically divided into types based on the style of crop cultivated, the scale of cultivation, the passion for cultivation, the level of mechanization, livestock combinations, and how farm produce is distributed.
What is shifting cultivation what are its disadvantage? In shifting cultivation, a plot of land is cleared by felling trees and burning them. Then, the ashes are mixed with the soil and crops.
Shifting cultivation is also known as Slush & Burn agriculture. Therefore, the indigenous populations of Northeast India frequently use shifting agriculture, also known as “Jhum” as a method of agriculture. Today we will discuss one of the segments of agriculture, shifting agriculture.
What Is Shifting Cultivation What Are Its Disadvantage?
Wondering What is shifting cultivation what are its disadvantage, you should know about shifting cultivation. A traditional farming technique known as “shifting cultivation,” or “Jhum cultivation,” entails clearing the ground of any forestry and burning it before planting any crops. By increasing the amount of potash in the soil, this agricultural technique increases the soil’s fertility.
Although the initial yield from this approach may be high, repeated cropping of the region reduces soil fertility. The farmers then move to a different forest region and carry out the same procedure there because the soil fertility has decreased.
A planted region is typically left fallow for 50 to 60 years to allow the soil to recover its fertility. However, this has substantially decreased as a result of farmers returning to the same location every three to six years due to population growth.
Due to the insufficient amount of time given for the soil to regenerate and the forest to expand, the yield is decreased and a sizable region becomes dry.
How Is Shifting Cultivation Practiced?
In a brief discussion, we would say that the Indian farmers would cut and burn the native vegetation in the process of shifting agriculture. Then, they sow the crops in the ash-fertilized and exposed soil for 2 or 3 seasons in succession.
A lot of use of puff animals instead of using a plow, where very essential farming tools like dibble bars and scrapers are used. And all the crops being grown are combined. Also, it has been indicated that hunting and convention are important side positions for migrant farmers in greatly of Northeast India.
However, the following steps are taken while practicing shifting cultivation.
- First, select a portion of the land.
- Graze scrubs and trees until they are stump-level, the first to make way for crops to be burned.
- Repeat those steps 1 to 3 on a different plot of farmland when some time has passed.
- Therefore, shifting cultivation is a type of farming system where a plot of land is first used for farming, then later ditched.
Characteristics Of Shifting Cultivation:
- If enough land is restored for a long time (10 to 20 years), it is ecologically viable.
- There shouldn’t be an excessive amount of food demand or necessity.
- This technology is appropriate for harsh climatic conditions and delicate tropics environments.
- And for that reason, we have had only sporadic success in identifying workable substitutes for shifting agriculture in India.
Types Of Shifting Cultivation:
Slash-and-burn farming, shifting cultivation processes on the Orinoco floodplain, Chitemene methods, Hmong methods, slash-mulch methods, and plow-in-slash methods are some examples of shifting agriculture.
What Is The Extent Of Shifting Cultivation?
Shifting cultivation tends to cover 0.59 percent of India’s total land area, according to current estimates. The climate condition and conservation of these sites have been harshly and significantly polluted as an effect of differences in agriculture. A given land’s shifting farming process, which formerly lasted 15–20 years, now normally lasts two or three years.
As a result, there has been overall deforestation, the defeat of soil and nutrients, and invasion by weeds and other varieties. There has also been a notable loss of regional biodiversity. According to recent statistics, Odisha has the largest land use for agriculture in India.
Advantages Of Shifting Cultivation:
Wondering what is shifting cultivation what are its disadvantage, there are also several advantages of this cultivation. So, we’ve noted some advantages of shifting cultivation in the given below.
It is a helpful farming method for those who usually live in hilly areas. So they use this simple method to grow crops. This method makes it easy to remove weeds and small bushes with little manual tools.
- This method of farming can produce and harvest crops very easily in a short period of time.
- Areas which are used for farming in shifting systems are not easily prone to flood or drought as these farming areas can easily be irrigated regularly by mountain stream water.
- Utilizing the used land, this method recovers all the lost nutrients naturally without the aid of any modern soil boost technology.
- A lot of resources can economize as fewer fields are used for this type of cultivation and it is an organic and environment-friendly process.
Disadvantages Of Shifting Cultivation:
- The destruction of the forest is this type of farming’s biggest disadvantage. For instance, this type of farming has turned an evergreen forest belt into a parched, brown landscape in Cherrarpunji, Meghalaya.
- It takes years for forests to grow, but this approach eliminates them in a single day from the perspective of life.
- The loss of forests causes severe soil erosion, which in turn causes flooding in rivers and low-lying areas.
- Due to the large population, there is less area accessible for shifting agriculture. This method of cultivation puts strain on the available space, which results in the soil losing more nutrients without being restored.
- There is no profit.
- As a result, biodiversity is lost.
- Widespread deforestation also adds to global warming.
- Because farms move around frequently, there are no incentives to spend money on long-term improvements like irrigation, storage sheds, or even particular strategies for controlling pests, preventing soil erosion, or conserving soil.
Shifting Cultivation In Northeast India:
While discussing what is shifting cultivation what are its disadvantages, today we will know about shifting cultivation in Northeast India. Jhum cultivation (slash and burn cultivation) is the term used for shifting cultivation in Northeast India.
Even now, neighboring northeastern states like Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura, Manipur, and our very own Meghalaya continue to use this traditional farming technique.
Only 10% of the land in Meghalaya is suitable for cultivation, despite the fact that 80% of the state’s people depend on agriculture for their livelihood. You can relish the difficulty faced by farmers given that more than 75% of the area is covered in forests.
Other cultivation methods don’t appear practical given the area’s rough and uneven environment. The region’s mountainous terrain makes it difficult for mechanical activities to take place, unlike the plain farming areas in other parts of India; as a result, the farmers here choose shifting agriculture.
Conclusion:
So, this is the entire details about what is shifting cultivation what are its disadvantages. To restore the large tracts of deserted land, reforestation should be initiated. Close observation of the landscape is required to observe the area used for such farming. Agroforestry, which entails farmers simultaneously caring for huge trees and crops, must be promoted.
In some regions of India, like Nagaland, it is very incomprehensible to totally prevent shifting cultivation. But we can fix the problem. Instead of being restrained, this technique can be enhanced.
FAQs:
Q. What Is An Example Of Shifting Cultivation?
Extensive farming, Subsistence farming, and Arable farming are examples of Shifting cultivation.
Q. What Are The Different Names Of Shifting Cultivation In India?
Jhum, Dhya, Penda, Podu, Beware, and Nevada are the different names of Shifting Agriculture.
Q. Where Is Shifting Cultivation Practiced In India?
In India, Shifting Agriculture is basically practiced in hilly areas including Andhra Pradesh, Sikkim, Bihar, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Kerala, and Karnataka.
Q. What Is The Other Name Of Shifting Cultivation?
Shifting cultivation has also the other name called Jhum Cultivation or Slash and Burns Agriculture.
Q. What Are The Main Features Of Shifting Cultivation?
The main features of shifting cultivation are the process of fields, use of fire for clearing the land, maintaining the land fallow for revival use of human labor, non-employment of draught animals, non-use of the plow, and producing mixed crops.