What
is shifting cultivation?
Shifting
cultivation is an example of arable, subsistence and extensive
farming. It is the traditional form of agriculture in the
rainforest. This case study will focus on the Amazonian
Indians in South America.
Indians
in tribes such as the Quicha and the Kayapo clear small
areas of vegetation. They then burn it because the ash provides
nutrients for the infertile soil. The land is then farmed
for 2-3 years before the Indians move on to another area
of the rainforest. This allows the area of rainforest to
recover.
