Jhum cultivation, popularly known as slash-and-burn agriculture relies on burning and clearing the forests after cultivation. It is a practice followed often by tropical-forest root-crop farmers in various parts of the world. It is used for animal grazing by farmers in South and Central America. The dry rice cultivators of southeast Asia also follow the system.
In the beginning period, the ash generated due to burning provides some fertilization and the land becomes weed free, but after a few times of use, the land becomes unfertile and weeds increase heavily making the land deforested and unusable for cultivation. The farmers usually move to another site to practice the same method then.
In the beginning period, the ash generated due to burning provides some fertilization and the land becomes weed free, but after a few times of use, the land becomes unfertile and weeds increase heavily making the land deforested and unusable for cultivation. The farmers usually move to another site to practice the same method then.
As followed by indigenous people, the land is allowed to be left fallow and the farmers move onto a new land to follow the cultivation method. After a decade or so, the land becomes reusable. Such practices are considered sustainable as they do not employ synthetic fertilizers, and small deforested areas can recover as forests again over time.
Image 1: Slash and Burn on a Rice field
By the early 21st century, however, deforestation took a permanent shape as cleared lands became incapable of forming new forests. This led to habitat fragmentation and loss of biodiversity in a palpable manner. The traditional slash-and-burn agriculture methods were the source of ignorable greenhouse gas emissions; the modern methods are a source of significant carbon dioxide gas emissions as they are a permanent source of deforestation.
Forest trees sequester carbon dioxide from the atmosphere while preparing food. But due to deforestation and the burning of wood, a lot of carbon dioxide is returned back to the atmosphere. Therefore, instead of returning oxygen to the atmosphere, the process returned back a lot of carbon dioxide, leading to a mass scale pollution, which saw an unprecedented increase in the amount of greenhouse gases for jhum cultivation.
In Southeast Asia, jhum cultivation has been a major source of air pollution due to the smoke generated in the process. In these areas, large areas are used for palm oil cultivation in the jhum method. Although jhum cultivation is responsible for deforestation mainly in tropical rainforests, such as the Amazon in Southeastern America, it is also responsible for the loss of large areas of tropical dry forests. In these areas, a dry atmosphere allows better burning, and hence the process of deforestation increases multiple times more than in other areas of the world
Image 2: Shifting or slash-and-burn cultivation
In India, Jhum cultivation is followed mainly in the Northeastern states. Here are some of them.
Although half of Arunachal Pradesh’s population is engaged in farming, only a small portion of land is under cultivation. The form of settled wet-rice farming has gained momentum since the early 20th century but many farmers still follow shifting agriculture or jhum where the land for cultivation is cleared by burning the crops. The burning continues for several cultivation seasons but once the fertility of the land declines, the land is abandoned in favor of a new area. The abandoned land is thus deforested and the process is continued for several areas of cultivation.
Rice, millet, corn (maize), and buckwheat are the chief crops grown in Arunachal Pradesh by the jhum method. The commercial crops cultivated in Arunachal Pradesh include potatoes, oilseeds, sugarcane, ginger, and vegetables.
Mizoram is another state in Northeastern India where jhum cultivation is practiced. About two-thirds of Mizoram’s population is engaged in cultivation. There are two main methods of cultivation practiced by Mizo farmers - the first is terrace cultivation, in which crops are planted on relatively permanent, graduated terraces on the sides of hills and mountains.
Terrace cultivation aims to conserve water and reduce soil loss. The second method of cultivation is shifting agriculture, called jhum. Rice, corn (maize), cotton, and vegetables are the major crops cultivated in Mizoram.
Nagaland, another Northeastern Indian state is also heavily dependent on agriculture. About nine-tenths of Nagaland’s population is engaged in cultivation. The main crops that are grown by farmers in Nagaland include Rice, small millets, corn (maize), pulses (legumes), oilseeds, sugarcane, fibers, potato, and tobacco.
Widespread application of jhum cultivation has led to soil degradation and erosion in Nagaland. Only the farmers in the southern regions of Koima use irrigation and terracing techniques. Forestry is also one of the major sources of income and employment in Nagaland.
Jhum cultivation is primarily used in Less Economically Developed Countries (LEDCs) or Low-Income Countries (LICs). Following are some of the reasons for practicing Juhm Cultivation in the world.
In some of the cultivation areas, cultivators use a practice of slash-and-burn as an element of the farming cycle. Other farmers employ land clearing but do not resort to any type of burning. Some farmers are completely migratory and they do not follow any cyclical method on a given plot. Sometimes slashing of trees is not needed, especially when regrowth is grass-based, which is an outcome common when soils are near their last level of productivity and require to lie fallow.
In shifting agriculture, after every couple or three years of production of grain crops and vegetables on cleared land, the migrant cultivators abandon the farmland for another piece of land. The land is often prepared for cultivation by slash-and-burn methods where trees, bushes, and remaining forests are slashed, and the remaining trees and vegetation are burnt. The remaining ashes usually add potash which is a fertilizer to the soil. Then the seeds for cultivation are again sown after the rains.
It is important to make the indigenous cultivators aware of the harmful effects of jhum cultivation. As jhum cultivation often leads to deforestation, the process should be abolished by making farmers aware and vigilant. There has been considerable progress in this initiative and many cultivators who once used to engage only in jhum cultivation have left it for other sustainable methods.
However, jhum cultivation can be completely stopped with the help of governmental, legislative, and social initiatives. The idea is to implement a strategy that can shift the mind as well as cultivation technique to a more sustainable process and this should be taught to all jhum cultivators.
Jhum cultivation is a dangerous cultivation method that results in deforestation which can make large parts of fertile lands barren and unfertile. There is a need to start awareness programs in places where jhum cultivation is followed to make the cultivators aware of the problem. Awareness can bring a sea change in the mindset, and hence, all should support the initiatives to make jhum cultivators stop following the method.
Qns 1. Where is jhum cultivation mainly followed?
Ans. Jhum cultivation is primarily used in LEDCs (Less Economically Developed Countries) or LICs (Low-Income Countries).
Qns 2. Describe the process of shifting agriculture in brief.
Ans. In shifting agriculture, after every couple or three years of production of grain crops and vegetables on cleared land, the migrant cultivators abandon the farmland for another place. The land is often prepared for cultivation by slash-and-burn methods where trees, bushes, and remaining forests are slashed, and the remaining trees and vegetation are burnt. The remaining ashes usually add potash which is a fertilizer to the soil. Then the seeds for cultivation are again sown after the rains.
Qns 3. Name three states of India where jhum cultivation is used.
Ans. Jhum cultivation is used in Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, and Nagaland.
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