Agriculture Review
By Aditya abhishek
Slash & Burn farming system also known as shifting cultivation originated around 5,000 to 9,000 years ago.
It was mostly practiced by farmers of Sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, and South America.
It is also a type of subsistence farming which led to the first agricultural revolution due to which human civilization flourished.
In slash and burn farming method, farmers used to clear forest land by cutting down natural vegetation, then putting them on fire.
After clearing natural vegetation, farmers used to cultivate arable crops on that land for few years and then the land was left unattended.
Farmers use to wait for around 10 to 20 years, during this time natural vegetation used to grow again. This waiting period is also known as "Fallow Period."
During the fallow period, farmers used to shift to another forest land and practice the same farming method. Due to which it is also called as "Shifting Cultivation."
However, Slash & Burn farming caused soil erosion, and reduced soil fertility overtime. That's why gradually farmers started to develop new farming systems for survival.
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