Q. Consider the following: - Jhum agriculture is a primitive type of agriculture in which trees and vegetation are first cut and burnt and the cleared land is plowed with old tools (wooden plows etc.) and seeds are sown.
- This type of agriculture done by the primitive castes in the northeastern hills of India is called Jhum agriculture.
Which of the above statements is / are correct?
Answer:
Both 1 and 2
Notes: Slash-and-burn farming is a primitive type of agriculture in which trees and vegetation are first cut and burned, and the cleared land is plowed with old equipment (wooden plows etc.). This land is cultivated for a few years (usually two or three years) as long as the soil remains fertile. After this, this land is left on which trees and plants grow again. Now, by clearing the wilderness land elsewhere, new land is obtained for agriculture and that too is cultivated for only a few years. Thus, it is a shifting cultivation in which the fields keep on changing at short intervals of time. This type of agriculture done by the primitive castes in the northeastern hills of India is called Jhum agriculture. This type of shifting agriculture is known as Chena in Sri Lanka, Ladang in India and Milpa in Rhodesia. It is often claimed that the shifting has resulted in the loss of valuable natural resources of the region.