What is shifting cultivation

Shifting cultivation was a method of cultivation used by the tribals in the nineteenth century. It was done on small patches of land, mostly in forests. The cultivators cut the treetops so that the sunlight could reach the ground. They then burnt the vegetation on the land to clear it for cultivation. They spread the ash produced from the firing as it contained potash which was used to fertilise the soil. They used the axe to cut trees and the hoe to scratch the soil in order to prepare it for cultivation. They scattered the seeds instead of ploughing the field and sowing the seeds. Once the crop was ready and harvested, they moves to another field to do the same process again. A field that had been cultivated once was left fallow for several years. This is shifting cultivation.