- 1. HIGHER GEOGRAPHY HUMAN - RURALLets now look at the three
casestudy farming types.They are called;-SHIFTING
CULTIVATIONINTENSIVE PEASANT FARMINGEXTENSIVE COMMERCIAL FARMINGYou
will need to know;-An example of where each type is practicedWhat
the landscape looks likeHow each type works; the good and bad
aspects of itThe changes that have been affecting it, and how.
1
2. HIGHER GEOGRAPHY HUMAN - RURALTropic of AmazonCentra
CancerBasinl AfricaEquator Indonesia and PNG.Tropic
ofCapricornGlobal Distribution of Shifting CultivationGlobal
Distribution of Shifting Cultivation 2 3. HIGHER GEOGRAPHY HUMAN -
RURALShifting cultivation is practiced in the EquatorialRainforest
areas of the world.An example is the Boro Indian tribe in
Amazonia-Brazil, South America.3 4. HIGHER GEOGRAPHY HUMAN -
RURALThis type of farming is subsistence, extensive, lowtechnology,
peasant, low productivity, labour intensive,mainly arable.It is
practiced by between 3 and 6 extended families-perhaps twenty to
fifty people- who live and farmtogether.They use a huge area of
rainforest for their farming,but only small amounts at any one
time.It relies on leaving the land empty- fallow- for manyyears to
recover after use.The area of rainforest is traditionally handed
down tothe next generation; no-one actually owns the land.4 5.
HIGHER GEOGRAPHY HUMAN - RURALThe land is lush with dense
vegetation cover, but it isvery fragile! Stop the cycle of
nutrients and the soilis easily ruined!The native indians know how
to work the land withoutspoiling it in the long term.This is called
SUSTAINABLE, and it is good! 5 6. 6 7. HIGHER GEOGRAPHY HUMAN -
RURAL What are the processes involved inShifting farming?1.The
group decide to settle in an area- it could beseveral hectares in
size.2.They build a large, communal hut called a MALOCA.3.The men
chop the smaller trees down with axes andmachetes.4.Useful trees
like bananas and pineapples are left.5.The larger trees are left to
help bind the soil andto provide shade; they are too hard to
remove,anyway! 7 8. HIGHER GEOGRAPHY HUMAN - RURALA clearing with
its cropssurrounding the communalhut.A maloca- home toseveral
inter-relatedfamilies.8 9. HIGHER GEOGRAPHY HUMAN - RURALA Boro
tribe MalocaA Guarani tribe versionThe design varies
betweendifferent tribal groups 9 10. HIGHER GEOGRAPHY HUMAN -
RURALSLASH AND BURN is used toSome trees such as clear the land.the
banana treeWhy is this better than might be leftchopping the trees
down standing. Why?and removing them? 10 11. HIGHER GEOGRAPHY HUMAN
- RURALIn Papua NewGuinea a house isbuilt in a fewhoursThe final
roofcovering goeson 11 12. HIGHER GEOGRAPHY HUMAN - RURALInside,
the houses are extremely 12basic. 13. HIGHER GEOGRAPHY HUMAN -
RURALA family in their Maloca. 13 14. HIGHER GEOGRAPHY HUMAN -
RURAL6. The women and children burn the chopped wood- itadds ash as
a weak fertiliser, though this is quicklywashed out of the soil by
the rain.7. The women then plant their gardens calledCHAGRAS
between the stumps in a random, irregularway.8. They weed and tend
the plants over the next fewmonths, and can harvest up to three
crops a year.Remember there are no seasons in the rainforest,
andthere is continuous growth!9. All the work is done with digging
sticks, hoes andmachetes- very low technology! 14 15. HIGHER
GEOGRAPHY HUMAN - RURAL..the cut down trees are allowed to dry for
three months or so, then burned, in small, controlled fires.15 16.
HIGHER GEOGRAPHY HUMAN - RURALWho needs matches? making fire with
two sticks16 17. HIGHER GEOGRAPHY HUMAN - RURALGround clearance is
very hard work, so many stumps, branches and roots are17left. 18.
HIGHER GEOGRAPHY HUMAN - RURALThe burned wood adds ash (a natural
fertiliser) tothe soil. 18 19. HIGHER GEOGRAPHY HUMAN - RURAL In
this Chagra, -a garden rather than a field-, maize seeds are being
planted amongst Sweet Potato. 19 20. HIGHER GEOGRAPHY HUMAN - RURAL
Manioc probably the single most important cropits
rootsprovidingcarbohydrate-richCassava flour(Tapioca).20 21. HIGHER
GEOGRAPHY HUMAN - RURALSimple fences to keep out wild and domestic
animals21 22. HIGHER GEOGRAPHY HUMAN - RURAL Maize (corn) may be
grown where the soils are richer.Papaya and otherfruits form
animportant part ofthe diet.22 23. HIGHER GEOGRAPHY HUMAN -
RURALOther crops may include Yams Tobacco Coca Mangoes
BeansDomesticated animals such as pigs and chickens may alsobe
kept. 23 24. HIGHER GEOGRAPHY HUMAN - RURALHowever, the torrential
rains cause rapid leachingUnless the land is left fallow (rested)
to minerals of the already poor soils, washing vital recovertheseof
the soil andwill be permanently degraded. out nutrients, it
reducing its fertility. This is why the clearings are only used for
a few years. LEACHING by rain.24 25. HIGHER GEOGRAPHY HUMAN -
RURALAfter a few years, the crops start to fail andthe clearing is
abandoned to be reclaimed by 25the forest. 26. HIGHER GEOGRAPHY
HUMAN - RURALSee Forest cleared by Booklet slash and burnp7 method.
The ash acts as a fertiliser Copy labelsThis farming does not lead
toserious destruction as itallows the forest to
naturallyregenerate. Food crops such as manioc, sweet potatoes and
maize are grown. River sites are The diet is supplemented by good
for fishing hunting, fishing and gathering26 and transport food
from the forest. 27. HIGHER GEOGRAPHY HUMAN - RURALShifting village
and cultivation27 28. HIGHER GEOGRAPHY HUMAN - RURAL The settlement
pattern isdispersed or scattered.Because of the large areaof forest
required with allof these moves, the overallpopulation density is
verylow often less than 1person per sq.km.28 29. HIGHER GEOGRAPHY
HUMAN - RURALThere is a variation on this type of farming;BUSH
FALLOWING is where the group settle in onearea, living in a
permanent maloca for very muchlonger than usual.They grow their
crops in fields around thesettlement.To stop the soil getting
ruined too soon, theypractice CROP ROTATION. This is where they use
adifferent field each time for a different crop.They usually leave
some of the fields FALLOW tolet them recover a bit. 29 30.
rotational bush fallowing Continuously cultivatedarea around
village 162 Outer clearings farmed in rotation Village53430 31. 1.
What is a cash crop? What term means the opposite of this?2. What
are the differences between intensive and extensive farming? Give
an example of a British farm type for each.3.Name the example place
from the slides where shifting cultivation is practiced.4. Describe
the amount of land each group uses over the whole time. Compare
this to how much is used at any one time.5. Who makes up the group
who farm together? How many might there be? What density of
population can they provide for?6. Describe their house in some
detail.7. What do they need to do to the land before they can plant
crops? How do they do this?8. What other name is given to this
practice?9. Name six crops they grow. How do they supplement their
diet? Give two ways.10.Describe examples of the technology they
use.11.What makes them move to another area? Explain why this
happens.12.Why does bush fallowing sometimes get done instead of
the original practice?13.Name and describe briefly six different
reasons 31 their farmingfor type changing. 32. HIGHER GEOGRAPHY
HUMAN - RURAL Changes 1 Shifting cultivation is in danger of
disappearing; This is due to destruction of large areas of
therainforest on which this system depends thearea available is
rapidly shrinking; This is caused by logging companies,
cattleranchers, gold and diamond miners and othermineral hunters,
and new settlers moving in tothe forest; Population growth is also
putting additional strainon this way of life particularly in west
Africa.32 33. HIGHER GEOGRAPHY HUMAN - RURALChanges 2Some Indian
groups have been forced into reservations orretreated into more
remote areas deep in the forest;Many tribes have suffered from
Culture Shock;There has been violence and intimidation against
thesetribes, with many thousands killed by new settlers;Thousands
have also died due to lack of immunity towestern diseases such as
measles;There has been serious water pollution by gold mining,which
uses toxic substances such as mercury. This hascaused poisoning of
rivers and people. 33 34. HIGHER GEOGRAPHY HUMAN - RURALIn Brazil,
forexample, the buildingof the TransAmazonian Highwayhas opened up
thevirgin rainforest tosettlement andexploitation, oftenwith
disastrousconsequences for theshifting cultivators. 34 35. HIGHER
GEOGRAPHY HUMAN - RURALMassive deforestation is removing the
habitat on which shifting cultivation depends, as here in Brazil.35
36. HIGHER GEOGRAPHY HUMAN - RURAL Huge fires now destroy enormous
areas in a few hours.Shifting cultivation isabandoned and replaced
bylarge, often foreign-ownedschemes. 36 37. HIGHER GEOGRAPHY HUMAN
- RURALsuch as the Jari Project in the 70s and 80s, withits
forestry plantations, cattle ranches, towns andrailway lines. 37
38. HIGHER GEOGRAPHY HUMAN - RURALThousands of garimpeiros(illegal
gold miners)devastate an area ofrainforest in a desperatesearch for
gold. 38 39. HIGHER GEOGRAPHY HUMAN - RURAL Review of Main points
Shifting Cultivation is also known as slash and burn; It is found
mostly in the equatorial rainforest areas ofthe world e.g. Amazon,
Congo, PNG. It has several versions, including bush fallowing; It
is low technology; It supports a very low population density; Its
settlement pattern is dispersed; It is subsistence farming, with
little surplus; It is under threat due to a combination of
outsideinfluences. Detailed knowledge of these forces ofchange is
essential. 39
