What is the importance of shifting cultivation?
Shifting cultivation systems are ecologically viable as long as there is enough land for long (10–20 years) restorative fallow, and expectations of crop yield and the attendant standards of living are not too high. These systems are naturally suited for harsh environments and fragile ecosystems of the tropics.
What are the benefits of shift cultivation on environment?
In shifting cultivation method of agriculture an area of land is cleared off its vegetation and cultivated for a period of time and then abandoned. Thus that abandoned land then gets ample opportunity to restore its fertility naturally.
What is shifting cultivation in economics?
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.
Which is the most important reason that the agricultural practice of shifting cultivation occurs primarily in tropical rainforest regions?
Shifting cultivation is part of the cultural diversity of folk customs in the tropics. Permanently clearing fields and using fertilizers will destroy tropical soils. Shifting cultivation destroys less tropical rain forest than permanently clearing the land.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of shifting agriculture?
Simple growing method, small investment, no need of animal labour power, reduce incidences of soil borne disease and pest management are the main beneficial aspects on one side whereas on the other side, destroying habitats of wild animals, taking our life element: oxygen, large-scale deforestation and soil and …
What is shifting cultivation What are the impact of shifting cultivation?
Impact of shifting cultivation practices Shifting cultivation has contributed to both positive and adverse environmental impacts. On the positive side, this practice restricts the intensity of land use, reducing the rate of environmental degradation in situations where capital and land management capability are low.
What are the major impacts of shifting cultivation on land?
The earlier 15-20 year cycle of shifting cultivation on a particular land has reduced to 2-3 years now. This has resulted in large-scale deforestation, soil and nutrient loss, and invasion by weeds and other species. The indigenous biodiversity has been affected to a large extent.
How does shifting cultivation affect the economy?
Replacing shifting cultivation with intensified, permanent agriculture may increase food production and food security but, at the same time, contribute to increasing income inequality, rural poverty, and minority discrimination.
What is shifting cultivation What are the implications?
The actual unsustainable shifting cultivation creates a lot of inverse consequences. The environmental effects include forest and land degradation and deforestation, followed by forest product impoverishment, soil erosion and downstream effects.
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.
What is one reason why shifting cultivation was 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 is shifting cultivation What are its dis advantages?
After the soil loses its fertility, the land is abandoned and the cultivator moves to a new plot. The major disadvantage of Shifting Cultivation is that many trees in the forest are cut and this increases soil infertility and leads to soil erosion.
