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What is the problem with shifting cultivation?

What is the problem with shifting cultivation?

Shifting cultivation has often been blamed as the main cause of deforestation and forest degradation [9–11,14,15], but evidence is growing that when shifting cultivation is discontinued, it is often replaced by intensified land uses with higher environmental impacts [16,17].

Why is shifting cultivation not possible in densely populated areas?

Since shifting cultivation involves long periods of fallow, a large amount of land is required per family, most of it unproductive at any one time. It is simply not possible to practice shifting cultivation when population densities rise and there is not enough land to leave a satisfactory period of fallow.

What are the limitations of shifting cultivation?

– The primary disadvantage of shifting cultivation is cutting down of forest, which further leads to deforestation. Forest and trees play an important role in balancing the environment. – Shifting cultivation also destroys the habitat of wild animals at large.

What is shifting cultivation Why are its disadvantages?

After the soil loses its fertility, the land is abandoned and the cultivator moves to a new plot. Shifting cultivation is also known as ‘slash and burn’ agriculture. Deforestation, losing fertility of land and soil erosion are the disadvantages of shifting cultivation.

Why was shifting cultivation sustainable in the past?

The response received 1 point in part C for explaining that shifting cultivation was sustainable in the past “because there was a larger amount of farmland available” and there were fewer people.

What are the causes of shifting cultivation?

Causes of shifting cultivation

  • Traditional cultivation customs. The first principal driver of shifting cultivation is tradition.
  • Poverty.
  • Limited availability of permanent agricultural land.
  • Population pressure on land.
  • Lack of capital.
  • Lack of technical knowledge.
  • Poor education and health care systems.
  • Land tenure insecurity.

Why shifting cultivation was sustainable in the past?

How does shifting cultivation affect the landscape?

The negative effects of abusing shifting cultivation are devastating and far-reaching in degrading the environment and ecology of the affected region. These negative effects can be identified in the form of localized deforestation, soil and nutrient loss, and invasion by weeds and other species.

Why is shifting agriculture not advised?

a form of agriculture, used especially in tropical Africa, in which an area of ground is cleared of vegetation and cultivated for a few years and then abandoned for a new area until its fertility has been naturally restored. It is not advised to use it because it makes the land barren which is a loss in agriculture.

What is Shifting Cultivation Why is it called a wasteful form of agriculture?

Shifting cultivation is considered s a wasteful form of agriculture because it involves cutting and burning of trees.

What are two reasons why shifting cultivation is expected to diminish during the 21st century?

(1) Shifting cultivation is expected to diminish because many new agricultural techniques and inventions such as genetically enhanced seeds, plows, tractors, irrigation systems, and many other things have made other types of agriculture more efficient.

Which is the best description of shifting cultivation?

December 10, 2017 Study Mentor 0 Comment. Shifting cultivation is a type of cultivation in which an area is cultivated temporarily for a period of time which differs from place to place and then abandoned for some time so that it restores nutrients in the plot naturally. This is very essential for the fertility of the land.

How is shifting cultivation different from slash and burn?

Shifting cultivation is a one lands clearing mode of farming or a slash and burn strategy. It leaves only stump and large trees in the farming area after the standing vegetation has been cut down and burned. The ashes enrich soil. Cultivation on earth after clearing of the land is often accomplished by a hoe or not necessarily by plough.

What is the relationship between jhum and shifting cultivation?

Shifting cultivation, though a rudimentary technique of land and forest resource utilization, represents an intricate relationship be­tween ecology, economy and society of a region. The jhum fields, their surrounding forests and natural areas provide two alternative sources of subsistence to the dependent population.

What are the disadvantages of shifting agriculture?

Disadvantages of shifting agriculture Destruction of forest is the biggest disadvantage of this type of cultivation. Destruction of forest causes heavy soil erosion which in turn causes flood in rivers and low-lying areas. Due to heavy population, the land provided for shifting agriculture is declining.