Distinguish between shifting farming and nomadic …

(a) Shifting Cultivation: • Shifting cultivation is practiced in the thickly forested areas of Amazon basin, tropical Africa, parts of Southeast Asia and Northeast India. These are the areas of heavy rainfall and quick regeneration of vegetation. • A plot of land is cleared by felling the trees and burning them. The ashes are then mixed with the soil and crops like maize, yam, potatoes and cassava are grown. When soil loses its fertility, the land is abandoned and the cultivator moves to a new plot. • Shifting cultivation is also known as 'slash and burn' agriculture. • It is known by different names in the world – Jhuming in North-Eastern States of India, Milpa in Mexico, Roca in Brazil, Ladang in Malaysia and Ray in Vietnam.

(b) Nomadic Herding: • Nomadic herding is practiced in the semi-arid and arid regions of Sahara, Central Asia and some parts of India, like Rajasthan and Jammu and Kashmir. • In this type of farming, Herder does not grow any fodder but move from one place to another with their animals for fodder and water, along defined routes. • Sheep, Camel, Yak and Goats are most commonly reared. They provide milk, meat, wool and other products to the herders and their families.