Shifting Agriculture
By: Sophie Haen
Definition
Agricultural Region
Where?
Fun Facts
-The second year is usually the most bountiful
-The land is usually used for three years and then abandoned for 6-20 years
-Land was traditionally owned by the tribe and family's were appointed to a field. Nowadays, the land is privately owned
-Shifting Agriculture occupies the most land out of all farming techniques with 1/4 of the world's land used for it and less than 5% of the population practices it; however, it is declining by 30,000 square miles each year.
Tribes That Practice Shifting Agriculture
-Dongria Kondh (Eastern India)
-Jummas (Bangladesh)
-Wanniyala-Aetto (Sri Lanka)
Characteristics
-They use hand tools
-They grow food only for their family-Live in isolated places often in the mountains
Importance
-Major food source for these people
-Villages revolve around shifting agriculture as it influences their daily life
-Their social, religious, and political custom are connected to shifting agriculture
Wanniyala- Aetto‘
-Forests were bulldozed, hunting grounds were flooded, and thousands of settlers began to arrive
-Moved to government villages and banned from entering their forest without a permit from Maduru Oya National Park in 1983
Environmental Effects
Crops
Upland rice in Southeast Asia
Maize and manioc in South America
Millet and sorghum in Africa
In the Amazon, their crops are planted in concentric rings (pictured) with the foods that require the least nutrients in the inner rings such as:
In the inner rings: sweet potato and yams then corn rice manioc and more yams ( Corn and rice eventually turn into sweet potato and yams)
In the outer rings: Papaya,banana, pineapple, mango, cotton, and beans