Monday, August 22, 2016

Broom Grass: Rehabilitation of Forests Degraded by Shifting Cultivation/Slash-and-Burn Agriculture

Broom Grass: Rehabilitation of Forests Degraded by Shifting Cultivation/Slash-and-Burn Agriculture © Hariyo Ban Program, WWF NepalIn general shifting cultivation/slash and burn agriculture is a traditional circulatory practice whereby trees, shrubs and bushes on steep hillsides are slashed and burnt to clean the land for agricultural purposes. After cleaning the steep hillsides various  kinds of lentils, oil producing plants, and cash crops such as Maas, Gahat, Teel, Junelo, Makai (maize), Ghaiya Dhaan (upland rice), Kodo (millet), Kaunu, and Sama are planted. After planting such crops for a year or two, the land is left as it is for two to five years during which time another hillside is chosen to slash and burn and practice shifting cultivation. The land where crops had been planted initially is left as it is to allow shrubs, bushes and trees to grow back. It has been found that in such places where bushes and shrubs are allowed to regrow, the hill side is overtaken with the Banmaara plant (Lantana camera, Eupatorium adenophorum and Chromolaena adorata) which do not allow other plant species to grow in the same place. After a few years slash and burn is repeated here and shifting agriculture practiced.


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