Question

What is Podu cultivation?
a. Shifting cultivation
b. Collection of forest food
c. Animal husbandry
d. None of these

Answer 1

Hint:
This practice is known by multiple names. It involves leaving croplands vacant for years after cultivation.

Complete step by step solution:
Podu is a traditional cultivation method used by Indian tribes, whereby numerous jungle forest areas are cleared each year by burning to provide land for crops. The term originates from the language of Telugu. Podu is a method of cultivation shift using methods of slash-and-burn. It was traditionally used on Andhra Pradesh hill-slopes.

In the 1980s, for some tribal communities in districts such as East Godavari, West Godavari, and most commonly, Srikakulam, it remained the main method of tilling the land, although its use by the Kolam and Naikpod tribes of Adilabad district had been entirely suppressed even by the 1950s.

Since the 1930s, attempts have been made to limit its use to conserve forests and allow commercial tree species like teak to grow.

Additional information: Slash-and-burn farming, also called fire-fallow cultivation, is a form of farming that involves cutting or slashing and burning plants to establish a field in a forest or woodland. The process starts by cutting down the trees and woody plants in a field. The downed vegetation is then left to dry, usually just before the rainiest part of the year.

The biomass is then burned, resulting in a nutrient-rich layer of ash that makes the soil fertile, and removes weed and pest species temporarily. After about three to five years, due to the depletion of nutrients along with weed and pest invasion, the productivity of the plot decreases, forcing farmers to leave the field and move to a new location.


Hence, the correct answer is option A.

Note:
Podu cultivation is known as “Jhum” or “Jhoom” in North-East India. It is also called Vevar and Dahiyaar in Bundelkhand Region (Madhya Pradesh).