What farming technique involves cutting down trees and burning them to clear and fertilize land?

• A. Slash and burn agriculture
• B. Terrace farming
• C. Deforestation
• D. Irrigation

Answer: (A)

This concept is about clearing land by cutting vegetation and burning it to release nutrients into the soil. In slash and burn agriculture, farmers fell trees and brush, set the debris on fire, and use the resulting ash to fertilize the field. The ash adds minerals like potassium and phosphorus, giving a quick boost to soil fertility, which suits shifting cultivation patterns in tropical regions where soil can be nutrient-poor. After a few years of farming, the land’s fertility declines, so farmers move on to a new patch and let the old one rest.

This approach is different from terrace farming, which builds flat steps on hillsides to reduce runoff; it’s not simply deforestation, which is the removal of forests for various reasons, nor irrigation, which is about supplying water to crops. The description in the question matches slash and burn most precisely because it involves cutting and burning vegetation to clear land and fertilize it.