Which of the following terms are synonymously used for shifting cultivation?
(A) Fazendas
(B) Ladang
(C) Slash and burn agriculture
(D) Milpa
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → (B), (C) and (D) only
Shifting cultivation (primitive subsistence agriculture) is practised by tribes in the tropics. A patch of forest is cleared by fire and farmed for a few years. When the soil loses its fertility, the farmer moves to a new patch. It has different names in different regions.
(A) Fazendas — Incorrect. Fazendas are large coffee plantations in Brazil. They belong to plantation agriculture, not shifting cultivation.
(B) Ladang — Correct. Shifting cultivation is called Ladang in Indonesia and Malaysia.
(C) Slash and burn agriculture — Correct. The forest is cut and burnt, and the ashes add to the fertility of the soil, hence the name.
(D) Milpa — Correct. Shifting cultivation is called Milpa in central America and Mexico.
NCERT (2026-27): “Primitive Subsistence Agriculture … The vegetation is usually cleared by fire, and the ashes add to the fertility of the soil. Shifting cultivation is thus, also called slash and burn agriculture. … It is prevalent in tropical region in different names, e.g. Jhuming in North eastern states of India, Milpa in central America and Mexico and Ladang in Indonesia and Malaysia.” “Plantation Agriculture … Some coffee fazendas (large plantations) in Brazil are still managed by Europeans.” |