Courses
Courses for Kids
Free study material
Offline Centres
More
Store Icon
Store
seo-qna
SearchIcon
banner

Why did the colonial government decide to ban shifting cultivation?

Answer
VerifiedVerified
555k+ views
Hint: Colonialism is a country’s policy, and its purpose is usually to dominate the economy in order to expand or retain its power over other people or territories. In the process of colonization, colonists can impose their religion, language, economy and other cultural customs on indigenous peoples.

Complete answer:
Shifting cultivation is an agricultural system in which the land is temporarily cultivated and then abandoned, and after the cultivator is fallow, the fallow vegetation is allowed to grow freely. When the soil shows signs of depletion, or more commonly when the fields are flooded with weeds, the cultivation period usually ends. The time to cultivate the land is usually shorter than the time to regenerate the land through fallow.

Reason:
The government prohibits shifting cultivation methods because they condemn such practices as harmful to forests. They feel that the land used for farming every few years cannot grow railway wood. When the forest is burned, the danger of flames spreading and burning valuable wood is greater. Farming shifts also make it more difficult for the government to calculate taxes. Therefore, the government decided to ban conversion. As a result, many communities were forced to be displaced from their homes in the forest. Some people had to change professions, while others resisted due to rebellions.

Note:
From 1878 to 1927. Since the felling of trees is banned, which will lead to deforestation, India prohibits shifting cultivation. Shifting cultivation is found in the hilly areas of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura, shifting cultivation (locally called jhum), It is still the main method of food production and the economic pillar of many rural families.