Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
Primitive farming methods often use the natural ecosystem to replenish soil fertility.
One such method, common in tropical forests, involves clearing a patch of land and utilizing organic matter for nutrients. Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
Let's analyze the characteristics of the given agricultural types:
1. Shifting Cultivation: Also known as "Slash and Burn," this is common in Northeast India (Jhuming).
- A forest patch is cleared by felling trees.
- The vegetation is then burned, and the ashes (rich in potash) are mixed with the soil to provide nutrients.
- Seeds are sown without complex tilling. After a few years, when the soil loses fertility, the farmers move to a new patch.
2. Intensive Subsistence Agriculture: This is found in the fertile plains of India. It uses heavy labor and irrigation on permanent plots, not the slash-and-burn technique.
3. Plantation Agriculture: A commercial system (tea, coffee, rubber) that uses modern fertilizers and scientific techniques on a huge scale.
4. Mediterranean Agriculture: Specialized farming in Mediterranean climates focusing on citrus fruits, olives, and grapes (viticulture).
The process of burning vegetation to add nutrients is the defining characteristic of Shifting Cultivation. Step 3: Final Answer:
Shifting Cultivation, also known as "Slash and Burn," involves burning cleared vegetation for soil nutrients.
The correct option is (B).
