Which term describes a farming system where land is cultivated and then abandoned as farmers move to new plots, typical of tropical environments?

• A. Shifting cultivation
• B. Nomadic herding
• C. Ranching
• D. Intensive agriculture

Answer: (A)

Shifting cultivation is a farming system in tropical regions where land is cleared, cultivated for a time, and then abandoned as farmers move to new plots. Farmers typically clear forest, burn the vegetation to release nutrients, and plant crops for a few years before moving on when fertility declines or the plot is exhausted, letting the land lie fallow to recover. This pattern of cultivating land briefly and then abandoning it to allow natural regrowth is characteristic of tropical environments where soil nutrients can be quickly depleted and rapid regeneration occurs when given time. The other practices don’t fit this cycle: nomadic herding follows animal movement rather than crop cultivation on fixed plots; ranching focuses on large-scale livestock grazing; intensive agriculture involves high input, continuous use of the same land.