Jhum cultivation

What is Jhum cultivation?

Farmers slash and burn a patch of land, start growing food crops.
When soil fertility declines they shift to another place, burning the jungle again.
For various names for Jhum
Favor of Jhum cultivation

Uses forest’s natural cycle of regeneration.
Organic farming, doesn’t use pesticides or chemical fertilizers. Trees burned to provide potash to the soil
Cooperation: after jhuming, the land distributed among farmers.
Jhum causes only temporary loss of jungle. Because once monsoon over, the farmers abandon the land. Jungle regenerates quickly.

The Jhum cycle normally runs for around 6-10 years. i.e. when farmers return to the same patch of land and burn forest again.
During those 6-10 years, same jungle provide forest produce to the tribals.
Contrary to that, monoculture plantation causes permanent loss of forest, due to chemical inputs. so once, you cut down a forest to raise monoculture plantation, you cannot reconvert the same land into natural forest again.

Jhuming done in steep hill slopes where sedentary cultivation not possible. So it’s a reflex to physiographical characters of the North east.

overall, Jhum economically productive + ecologically sustainable

Against Jhum cultivation

If you leave the jungle for ten years, it’ll regenerate. But nowadays farmers come back in jut ~5 years. Not enough time for the forest to regenerate.
North eastern forest are major carbon sinks, home to biodiversity. Must be protected.
Jhum farming families always suffer food, fuel and fodder problems, leading to poverty and malnutrition.
tons of biomass gets loss due to burning of tress.

Tree burning leads to:
higher CO2, NO2 and other Greenhouse gases (GHGs). This wasn’t an issue in ancient times (when there was no industrialization). But we cannot afford more GHG in modern era.
higher run off of rainwater. hence draught, drinking water shortage.
we cannot find oaks, bamboo and teak forests in many regions of North East- only deciduous scrubs left. this erodes biodiversity of the region.

soil erosion, siltation in dams.