Export your learner materials as an interactive game, a webpage, or FAQ style cheatsheet.
Unsaved Work Found!
It looks like you have unsaved work from a previous session. Would you like to restore it?
Total Categories: 5
Slash-and-burn agriculture, a method of cultivation, involves the clearance of land by cutting and burning vegetation to prepare fields for farming.
Answer: True
This statement accurately describes the fundamental process of slash-and-burn agriculture, which is a form of shifting cultivation.
In the context of slash-and-burn agriculture, the term 'slash' refers to the ash residue left after burning the vegetation.
Answer: False
The term 'slash' in slash-and-burn agriculture refers to the vegetation that has been cut down, not the ash produced by burning.
The primary function of the burning phase in slash-and-burn agriculture is not soil compaction for water retention, but rather the fertilization of the soil through the resulting ash.
Answer: True
The burning phase serves to convert the cut vegetation into nutrient-rich ash, which fertilizes the soil, and also helps to clear the land of pests and weeds.
Historical slash-and-burn farming relied heavily on advanced machinery like tractors and plows.
Answer: False
Historically, slash-and-burn agriculture was characterized by the use of simple, manual tools such as axes, machetes, and hoes, not advanced machinery.
Slash-and-burn is considered suitable for regions with poor soil quality, like the Amazon, because the ash provides essential nutrients.
Answer: True
In regions with inherently poor soil quality, such as the Amazon basin, the ash generated from burning vegetation provides crucial nutrients necessary for crop cultivation.
The fundamental principle of shifting cultivation is continuous farming on the same plot of land.
Answer: False
Shifting cultivation is characterized by periodic movement to new areas for cultivation, rather than continuous farming on a single plot.
What is the primary purpose of the ash produced during the burning phase of slash-and-burn agriculture?
Answer: To fertilize the soil with essential nutrients.
The ash generated from burning vegetation is rich in minerals and serves as a primary source of fertilization for the newly cleared fields.
What does the term 'swidden' refer to in slash-and-burn agriculture?
Answer: The cleared field created for farming.
A 'swidden' is the term used to describe the plot of land cleared by cutting and burning vegetation for the purpose of cultivation in slash-and-burn agriculture.
Which of the following is NOT a traditional tool used in slash-and-burn farming?
Answer: Tractor
Traditional slash-and-burn farming relies on manual tools such as machetes, hoes, and axes, not mechanized equipment like tractors.
Why is slash-and-burn agriculture considered a viable method in regions with poor soil quality, such as the Amazon?
Answer: The ash produced provides essential nutrients for crops.
In areas with nutrient-poor soils, the ash resulting from the burning process provides essential minerals that fertilize the land, making cultivation feasible.
What is the core principle of shifting cultivation?
Answer: Periodic movement to new areas for cultivation.
The fundamental principle of shifting cultivation involves the periodic relocation of farming activities to new land parcels, allowing previously used areas to recover.
What is the purpose of cutting treetops in jhum cultivation?
Answer: To allow sunlight to reach the ground for crop growth.
Cutting treetops in jhum cultivation is primarily done to permit adequate sunlight penetration to the ground, which is essential for the germination and growth of crops.
In Bangladesh and India, slash-and-burn agriculture is known by the terms 'podu' or 'jhoom'.
Answer: True
The practice of slash-and-burn agriculture is referred to by regional names such as 'jhum' or 'jhoom' in parts of Bangladesh and India.
During the Neolithic Revolution, slash-and-burn was adopted by groups in forested areas to clear land for agriculture.
Answer: True
The transition to agriculture during the Neolithic period saw the widespread adoption of slash-and-burn techniques by populations in forested regions for land clearance.
Hunter-gatherers used fire primarily to clear land for permanent settlements before agriculture.
Answer: False
While fire was used by hunter-gatherers, its primary use before agriculture was often to manage landscapes for game animals and edible plants, not exclusively for permanent settlements.
Traditional slash-and-burn systems involved formal land sales between families based on market value.
Answer: False
Traditional slash-and-burn systems typically relied on usufructuary rights and customary practices for land use, rather than formal market-based sales.
In northeastern India and Bangladesh, slash-and-burn is referred to as 'svedjebruk'.
Answer: False
The practice of slash-and-burn agriculture is referred to by regional names such as 'jhum' or 'jhoom' in parts of Bangladesh and India. 'Svedjebruk' is associated with Finnish and Swedish practices.
Upland rice, vegetables, and fruits are commonly cultivated in jhum cultivation.
Answer: True
Jhum cultivation, a form of slash-and-burn, typically involves the planting of upland rice, various vegetables, and fruits.
The Maya civilization historically utilized slash-and-burn cultivation techniques.
Answer: True
Historical evidence indicates that the Maya civilization employed slash-and-burn cultivation methods.
Native Americans in the United States used fire exclusively for agricultural purposes.
Answer: False
Native Americans utilized fire for multiple purposes, including agricultural practices and hunting strategies.
The Yanomami Indians in the Amazon rely on slash-and-burn methods mainly due to the region's rich soil quality.
Answer: False
The Yanomami Indians, like many groups in the Amazon, rely on slash-and-burn methods primarily because the region's soil quality is generally poor, making the ash fertilization essential.
'Svedjebruk' is the Swedish term for slash-and-burn agriculture.
Answer: True
The term 'svedjebruk' is indeed the Swedish designation for slash-and-burn agriculture.
Finnish settlers introduced 'svedjebruk' to Russia in the 16th century.
Answer: False
Finnish settlers introduced 'svedjebruk' to Sweden in the 16th century, and later it spread to parts of Norway. The source does not mention its introduction to Russia.
Telkkämäki Nature Reserve in Finland demonstrates historical slash-and-burn farming techniques.
Answer: True
Telkkämäki Nature Reserve in Finland functions as an open-air museum showcasing historical slash-and-burn agriculture practices.
In 'svedjebruk', fields were typically sown with turnips or cabbages in their first year after initial clearing.
Answer: False
In 'svedjebruk', fields were typically sown with rye in the first year, followed by turnips or cabbages in the second and third years.
In 1710, Norwegian authorities considered expelling Finnish settlers practicing 'svedjebruk' due to loyalty concerns during conflict with Sweden.
Answer: True
Historical records indicate that in 1710, Norwegian authorities contemplated expelling Finnish settlers practicing 'svedjebruk' due to political and loyalty concerns during a period of conflict with Sweden.
How did slash-and-burn agriculture contribute during the Neolithic Revolution?
Answer: It provided a method to clear land for cultivating domesticated plants and animals.
During the Neolithic Revolution, slash-and-burn agriculture was instrumental in clearing forested lands, facilitating the cultivation of newly domesticated crops and the establishment of agricultural communities.
What is the Swedish term for slash-and-burn agriculture?
Answer: Svedjebruk
The Swedish term for slash-and-burn agriculture is 'svedjebruk'.
How did Finnish settlers influence the practice of 'svedjebruk'?
Answer: They helped spread it to western Sweden and Norway.
Finnish settlers migrating in the 16th century were instrumental in spreading the practice of 'svedjebruk' to new regions, including western Sweden and Norway.
Which ancient civilization in the Americas is noted for using slash-and-burn cultivation?
Answer: The Maya
The Maya civilization is historically recognized for its use of slash-and-burn cultivation techniques.
What kind of rights did families typically hold over a cleared field in traditional slash-and-burn systems?
Answer: Usufructuary rights, the right to use and benefit.
In traditional slash-and-burn systems, families typically held usufructuary rights, meaning the right to use and benefit from the land, rather than formal ownership.
What is a historical use of fire by hunter-gatherers before agriculture?
Answer: To create clearings that encouraged new plant growth beneficial to game animals.
Hunter-gatherers historically used fire to manage landscapes, creating clearings that stimulated the growth of vegetation favored by game animals and edible plants.
What is the significance of the Telkkämäki Nature Reserve in Finland?
Answer: It demonstrates historical slash-and-burn agriculture techniques.
Telkkämäki Nature Reserve serves as a site where historical slash-and-burn farming methods are preserved and demonstrated.
What does the image from Arunachal Pradesh, India, depict in relation to jhum cultivation?
Answer: A fire associated with jhum cultivation.
The image from Arunachal Pradesh, India, captures a fire, which is an integral component of jhum, a regional form of slash-and-burn agriculture.
How did Native Americans historically use fire in their practices?
Answer: For agricultural purposes and in hunting practices.
Historically, Native Americans employed fire not only for agricultural land preparation but also as a tool within their hunting strategies.
What is the significance of 'usufructuary rights' in traditional slash-and-burn land use?
Answer: The right to use and benefit from land based on tradition.
Usufructuary rights in traditional slash-and-burn contexts refer to the customary entitlement to utilize and derive benefit from land, often without formal ownership.
What is the Swedish term for slash-and-burn agriculture, and who helped spread it?
Answer: Svedjebruk, spread by Finnish settlers.
The Swedish term for slash-and-burn agriculture is 'svedjebruk,' and Finnish settlers played a significant role in its dissemination.
In European prehistory, what characterized the slash-and-burn agricultural lifestyle?
Answer: Semi-nomadic practices with relocation to new areas.
In European prehistory, slash-and-burn farming was often associated with semi-nomadic lifestyles, where families would cultivate plots and then move to new locations as soil fertility declined.
What is the primary reason Yanomami Indians in the Amazon rely on slash-and-burn methods?
Answer: The poor quality of the soil in the Amazon basin.
The Yanomami Indians and other indigenous groups in the Amazon basin primarily utilize slash-and-burn methods due to the generally poor nutrient content of the region's soils.
What was the historical use of fire by hunter-gatherers before agriculture?
Answer: To create clearings that encouraged new plant growth beneficial to game animals.
Historically, hunter-gatherers employed fire to manage landscapes, creating clearings that stimulated the growth of vegetation favored by game animals and edible plants.
A field cultivated using slash-and-burn methods typically maintains productivity for a limited period, generally three to five years, before its fertility declines.
Answer: True
The productivity of a slash-and-burn field typically declines after three to five years due to nutrient depletion and the resurgence of weeds and pests.
When a slash-and-burn field becomes less productive, farmers typically intensify cultivation on the same plot rather than abandoning it.
Answer: False
The common practice when a field's productivity declines is to abandon it and clear a new plot, rather than intensifying cultivation on the depleted land.
The recovery period for a swidden before it can be used again for slash-and-burn agriculture can range from five to over twenty years.
Answer: True
The fallow period, or recovery time for a swidden, is variable and can extend from five to more than twenty years, depending on local conditions and ecological regeneration.
Practicing slash-and-burn agriculture too frequently in the same area can lead to the eventual destruction of the forest ecosystem.
Answer: True
When the fallow periods are shortened due to increased population pressure or other factors, slash-and-burn can degrade the land, leading to deforestation and ecosystem collapse.
The sustainability of 'svedjebruk' depended on allowing fields to regrow forest for 10 to 30 years before reuse.
Answer: True
The sustainability of 'svedjebruk' was contingent upon a fallow period of 10 to 30 years, allowing the forest to regenerate before the land was cleared and burned again.
Besides nutrient depletion, soil erosion is a risk associated with the removal of vegetation cover in slash-and-burn.
Answer: True
The removal of vegetation cover inherent in slash-and-burn practices exposes the soil, making it susceptible to erosion in addition to nutrient depletion.
After how many years does a slash-and-burn field typically begin to decline in productivity?
Answer: 3 to 5 years
The productivity of fields cultivated using slash-and-burn methods typically begins to decline after approximately three to five years due to nutrient depletion.
What is the common practice when a slash-and-burn field loses its productivity?
Answer: Farmers abandon the field and start a new cycle elsewhere.
When a field's productivity diminishes, the traditional response is to abandon it and clear a new plot, rather than intensifying cultivation on the depleted land.
What is the typical recovery period for a swidden before it can be used again for slash-and-burn agriculture?
Answer: 5 to 20 years
The ecological regeneration of a swidden, allowing it to recover its fertility for subsequent slash-and-burn cycles, typically requires a fallow period ranging from five to twenty years.
What is the consequence if slash-and-burn agriculture is performed too frequently in the same location?
Answer: The forest ecosystem is eventually destroyed.
Frequent application of slash-and-burn agriculture without adequate fallow periods can lead to severe land degradation, ultimately resulting in the destruction of the forest ecosystem.
Approximately 200 to 300 million people globally practice slash-and-burn agriculture.
Answer: True
Estimates suggest that a significant global population, ranging from 200 to 300 million individuals, relies on slash-and-burn agriculture for their livelihood.
Slash-and-burn agriculture is a minor contributor to deforestation and habitat loss globally.
Answer: False
Slash-and-burn agriculture is recognized as a major driver of deforestation and habitat loss worldwide, and also contributes to atmospheric carbon release.
When practiced traditionally, slash-and-burn agriculture is considered ecologically unsustainable and detrimental to biodiversity.
Answer: False
When practiced traditionally with adequate fallow periods, slash-and-burn agriculture can be ecologically sustainable and even contribute to biodiversity by creating mosaic habitats. However, unsustainable practices can be detrimental.
Cutting treetops in jhum cultivation helps protect the soil from erosion.
Answer: False
While cutting treetops allows sunlight for crops, it can also expose the soil to erosion, rather than protecting it.
Lemurs in Madagascar are threatened by deforestation driven by practices linked to slash-and-burn methods.
Answer: True
Deforestation, often associated with slash-and-burn agriculture, poses a significant threat to the habitat of lemurs in Madagascar.
Which of the following is a significant environmental consequence of slash-and-burn agriculture?
Answer: Habitat fragmentation
Slash-and-burn agriculture contributes to habitat fragmentation through deforestation and land clearance, impacting biodiversity.
What is a potential negative consequence of cutting treetops in jhum cultivation?
Answer: It exposes the soil to erosion.
While clearing treetops allows sunlight for crops, it also removes protective canopy cover, leaving the soil vulnerable to erosion by wind and rain.
What is the estimated number of people worldwide who practice slash-and-burn agriculture?
Answer: 200 to 300 million
It is estimated that between 200 and 300 million people globally currently practice slash-and-burn agriculture.
What is the primary benefit of slash-and-burn agriculture for human populations when practiced traditionally?
Answer: It provides food and income for millions.
Traditionally practiced slash-and-burn agriculture serves as a vital source of food and income for millions of people globally.
What is the primary argument presented by developmental organizations against slash-and-burn agriculture?
Answer: It is unsustainable and causes environmental degradation.
Developmental organizations frequently cite the unsustainability and environmental degradation associated with slash-and-burn agriculture as primary reasons for advocating alternatives.
What is the primary concern regarding the frequent application of slash-and-burn in areas with growing populations?
Answer: Accelerated deforestation and depletion of carbon reservoirs.
Increased population density often leads to more frequent slash-and-burn cycles, accelerating deforestation and depleting crucial carbon reservoirs, thereby posing a significant environmental concern.
What environmental threat do lemurs in Madagascar face due to agricultural practices linked to slash-and-burn?
Answer: Habitat fragmentation due to deforestation.
Deforestation, often driven by agricultural expansion including slash-and-burn practices, leads to habitat fragmentation, which critically threatens lemur populations in Madagascar.
How can slash-and-burn agriculture contribute to biodiversity?
Answer: By creating varied mosaic habitats.
When practiced sustainably, slash-and-burn agriculture can foster biodiversity by creating a mosaic of different habitats, including regenerating forests and cultivated clearings.
Slash-and-burn agriculture is highly suitable for the intensive production of cash crops.
Answer: False
Slash-and-burn agriculture is generally not suitable for intensive cash crop production due to its reliance on shifting cultivation and fallow periods, which are incompatible with the continuous demands of many cash crops.
The government of Mizoram has implemented policies to encourage more jhum cultivation.
Answer: False
The government of Mizoram has introduced policies aimed at ending the practice of jhum cultivation within the state.
Population growth and regulations have made it easier for 'svedjebruk' farmers to continue their traditional practices.
Answer: False
Conversely, population growth and increased regulations have presented significant challenges, making it more difficult for 'svedjebruk' farmers to maintain their traditional methods.
The 'slash-and-char' method involves incomplete burning of vegetation and plowing the charcoal into the soil to boost yields.
Answer: True
The 'slash-and-char' technique is an alternative approach that involves incomplete burning to produce charcoal, which is then incorporated into the soil to enhance fertility and yields.
'Inga alley cropping' suggests planting crops between rows of *Inga* trees as an alternative to slash-and-burn.
Answer: True
'Inga alley cropping' is proposed as a sustainable alternative to slash-and-burn, involving the cultivation of crops within alleys formed by rows of *Inga* trees.
In the 'slash-and-cover' method, leguminous shrubs are planted to improve soil compaction.
Answer: False
In the 'slash-and-cover' method, leguminous shrubs are planted to act as a fallow crop, enriching the soil, rather than to improve soil compaction.
Developmental organizations primarily encourage slash-and-burn farmers to transition to more intensive, permanent farming methods.
Answer: True
Developmental and environmentalist organizations often advocate for farmers to adopt more intensive, permanent agricultural systems or pursue alternative livelihoods.
What is the primary goal of organizations promoting alternatives like 'Inga alley cropping' or 'slash-and-cover'?
Answer: To reduce reliance on slash-and-burn cultivation.
The primary objective of promoting alternative agricultural methods is to decrease dependence on slash-and-burn practices, which are often associated with environmental degradation.
What is the purpose of the 'slash-and-cover' method's use of leguminous shrubs?
Answer: To act as a fallow crop to enrich the soil.
Leguminous shrubs in the 'slash-and-cover' method function as a fallow crop, contributing to soil enrichment and improved yields.
What policy has the government of Mizoram implemented regarding jhum cultivation?
Answer: To end the practice of jhum cultivation within the state.
The government of Mizoram has enacted policies specifically aimed at discontinuing the practice of jhum cultivation within its jurisdiction.
Why is slash-and-burn agriculture generally unsuitable for the production of cash crops?
Answer: It is not sustainable without large land areas or low population density.
The sustainability of slash-and-burn for cash crops is limited, often requiring extensive land or low population densities, which are frequently incompatible with commercial agricultural demands.
Which of the following is a proposed alternative method to improve slash-and-burn yields by altering the burning process?
Answer: Slash-and-char
The 'slash-and-char' method is proposed as an enhancement to traditional slash-and-burn, involving incomplete burning to produce charcoal for soil enrichment.