Case Study
Passage with linked questions
Case Set 1
Case AnalysisPassage
Rinjha lived with her family in a small village at the outskirts of Diphu in Assam. Her family practiced a type of farming where they cleared a patch of forest land, slashed and burned the vegetation, and then cultivated food crops for a season or two. Once the soil fertility decreased, they would move on to a fresh patch of land and repeat the process. The family used simple tools like hoe, dao, and digging sticks. They relied completely on the natural fertility of the soil and monsoon rains for irrigation. This method allowed nature to replenish soil fertility over time. Rinjha often helped carry water from a nearby spring through a bamboo canal to irrigate the crops. Though she loved the life, she was unaware that declining soil fertility would soon force her family to abandon the current patch.
Question 1: What type of farming is Rinjha's family practicing, and by what name is it locally known in Assam?
- Rinjha's family is practicing Primitive Subsistence Farming, also known as 'slash and burn' agriculture.
- In Assam and other north-eastern states, this type of farming is locally known as 'Jhumming'.
Question 2: Why does Rinjha's family need to shift to a new patch of land after a few seasons?
- When a patch of land is cultivated repeatedly without adding fertilisers or modern inputs, the natural fertility of the soil decreases.
- Once fertility declines, the family must clear a new patch so that nature can slowly replenish the fertility of the old patch through natural processes.
Question 3: Explain three reasons why primitive subsistence farming leads to low agricultural productivity and is considered environmentally problematic.
- Farmers do not use fertilisers or modern inputs like HYV seeds, so yields per unit area remain very low.
- Repeated clearing and burning of forest patches leads to deforestation, soil erosion, and loss of biodiversity over time.
- The system is entirely dependent on monsoon rainfall and natural soil fertility, making it vulnerable to climatic variations and providing no food security for the family.