Which system involves land being cultivated, then abandoned as the farmer moves onto another plot?

Which system involves land being cultivated, then abandoned as the farmer moves onto another plot?

• A. Shifting cultivation
• B. Market gardening
• C. Plantation agriculture
• D. Ranching

Answer: (A)

Shifting cultivation is a farming system where land is cleared and cultivated for a few years, then abandoned as the farmer moves to a new plot. This cycle, often involving slash-and-burn clearing, allows nutrients to recover during long fallow periods and forests to regrow. It’s typical in tropical areas with lower population pressure, where farmers can rotate plots rather than farming the same field year after year. The other options describe different practices: market gardening focuses on intensive, continuous cropping for local markets; plantation agriculture is large-scale monoculture for export; and ranching centers on raising livestock on rangeland.

Shifting cultivation is a farming system where land is cleared and cultivated for a few years, then abandoned as the farmer moves to a new plot. This cycle, often involving slash-and-burn clearing, allows nutrients to recover during long fallow periods and forests to regrow. It’s typical in tropical areas with lower population pressure, where farmers can rotate plots rather than farming the same field year after year. The other options describe different practices: market gardening focuses on intensive, continuous cropping for local markets; plantation agriculture is large-scale monoculture for export; and ranching centers on raising livestock on rangeland.