Shifting cultivation: Boon or bane?

  • 01/07/2009

  • Green Hope

Shifting cultivation is a dominant land use system in humid tropical high lands where steep slopes is a potential barrier for rain water harvesting for agriculture. It is the main stay of the economy of the hill people. As per Ministry of Rural Development, Govt. of India report, the 22.78 lakh ha of land area in India is under shifting cultivation of which 83.7% area falls under North Eastern states.