How is ‘slash and bum’ agriculture practiced ? What are its main features ? How is it known in different parts of the country ?
(1) The ‘slash and burn’ agriculture is practiced as mentioned below : Under this system, farmers clear a patch of land and produce cereals and other food crops to sustain their family. As the fertility of the soil decreases, the land is abandoned. The farmers move to new areas and clear a fresh patch of land for cultivation. It is known as ‘shifting agriculture’. The shifting of farmers to new area allows nature to replenish the fertility of the soil through natural processes. As farmers do not use fertilisers and high yielding variety of seeds, the land productivity is low. (2) It is known in different parts of the country and the world as follows : Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagaland -Jhumming Manipur – Pamlou _ Bastar district of Chhattisgarh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands — Dipa Madhya Pradesh – Bewar or Dahiya Andhra Pradesh – Podu or Penda Orissa – Pama Dabi or Roman or Bringa Western Ghats – Kumari South-eastern Rajasthan — Valre or Walter Himalayan belt – Khil harkhand – Kuruwa.
