For which of the following reasons 'slash and burn' method of farming is adopted?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Explanation
The correct answer is option 3 i.e. To replenish the fertility of the soil.
Some groups could easily plant their crops in open fields along river valleys, but others had forests covering their land.
- Thus, since Neolithic times, slash-and-burn agriculture has been widely used to clear land to make it suitable for crops and livestock.
- Slash and burn allow people to farm in places where it usually is not possible because of dense vegetation, soil infertility, low soil nutrient content, uncontrollable pests, or other reasons.
- It is a widely used method of growing food in which wild or forested land is clear-cut and any remaining vegetation burned.
- The resulting layer of ash provides the newly-cleared land with a nutrient-rich layer to help fertilize crops.