What is shifting cultivation? Why did the Europeans decide to ban it?
Answer:
- In shifting cultivation, parts of forests are cut and burnt in rotation. Seeds are sown in the ashes
- after the first monsoon rains. The following prompted Europeans to ban it.
- They regarded this practice as harmful for forests.
- They felt that the land which was used for cultivation every few years could not grow trees for railway timber.
- When a forest was burnt, there was the added danger of the flames spreading and burning- valuable timber.
- Shifting cultivation also made it harder for the government to calculate taxes. Therefore, the government decided to ban shifting cultivation.