Question

The shifting cultivation of the North Eastern region of India is called ______.
a. Jhuming
b. Bewar
c. Taungya
d. Ladang

Answer 1

Hint: Shifting cultivation consists of the practice of burning a patch of forest land and clearing it, cultivating it for a few years, and then shifting to a different place to cultivate. This practice is predominant in the regions of North East India.

Complete answer:
Let us have a look at the options now.
Option a- Jhuming is the practice of slash and burn agriculture practised in North East India. This is characterised by clearing a portion of forest land, burning it, and cultivating it before migrating to a fresh land. This is what we call ‘shifting cultivation’. Thus, this is the correct option.
Option b- Bewar is the name of a town in Uttar Pradesh, and not a term used to denote any kind of agriculture. So, it is not a correct option.
Option c- Taungya is an agroforestry system where labourers are allowed to produce certain crops alongside growing a forest species. Hence, this is not a correct option.
Option d- Ladang is the name of the shifting cultivation practised in Indonesia, not India. Hence, it is also not a correct option.
Hence, option, ‘a. Jhuming’ is the correct answer.

Note: Shifting cultivation is known by various names in various places. For instance, it is known as Ladang in Indonesia, Tamrai in Thailand, Milpa in central America & Mexico, Caingin in Philippines, Ray in Vietnam, Taungya In Myanmar, etc. However, in North East India, it is known by the name of ‘Jhuming’.