slash-and-burn agriculture
- slash-and-burn agriculture
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method of cultivation often used by tropical-forest root-crop farmers in various parts of the world and by dry-rice cultivators of the forested hill country of Southeast Asia. Areas of the forest are burned and cleared for planting; the ash provides some fertilization, and the plot is relatively free of weeds. After several years of cultivation, fertility declines and weeds increase. Traditionally, the area was left fallow and reverted to a secondary forest of bush. Cultivation would then shift to a new plot; after about a decade the old site could be reused. By the early 21st century, however, cleared areas were typically maintained in a deforested (
deforestation) state permanently. Although traditional practices generally created few greenhouse gases, slash-and-burn techniques are a significant source of carbon emissions when used to initiate permanent deforestation. (
See also shifting agriculture.)
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Universalium.
2010.
Look at other dictionaries:
slash-and-burn agriculture — The cutting down and burning of tropical vegetation to make mineral nutrients available for use by introduced agricultural crops … Dictionary of microbiology
Slash and burn — consists of cutting and burning of forests or woodlands to create fields for agriculture or pasture for livestock, or for a variety of other purposes. It is sometimes part of shifting cultivation agriculture, and of transhumance livestock herding … Wikipedia
slash and burn — UK US adjective slash and burn farming involves cutting down and burning trees and old plants in order to plant new crops slash and burn agriculture Thesaurus: general words for farming, and types of farminghyponym … Useful english dictionary
slash-and-burn — adjective slash and burn farming involves cutting down and burning trees in order to plant crops: slash and burn agriculture … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
Slash-and-burn — This article is about slash and burn farming. For shifting cultivation, see shifting cultivation. For the Manic Street Preachers single, see Slash n Burn. Not to be confused with scorched earth. Slash and burn practices in Eno, Finland, 1893 … Wikipedia
slash and burn — UK / US adjective slash and burn farming involves cutting down and burning trees and old plants in order to plant new crops slash and burn agriculture … English dictionary
slash-and-burn — [slash′ən bʉrn′] adj. 1. of or having to do with a type of primitive forest agriculture in which fields are cleared by cutting down and burning vegetation 2. extremely destructive in an indiscriminate way … English World dictionary
slash-and-burn — slash′ and burn′ adj. 1) agr. of or noting a method of agriculture in the tropics in which vegetation is felled and burned, the land is cultivated for a few years, then abandoned to the forest 2) cvb unnecessarily destructive or extreme •… … From formal English to slang
slash and burn — 1. adjective Rough, coarse and lacking finesse, performed with little skill. His slash and burn approach to management resulted in few friends and many enemies. 2. noun A technique in agriculture where plant matter is roughly cut down and then… … Wiktionary
slash-and-burn — I. | ̷ ̷ ̷ ̷| ̷ ̷ adjective : characterized or developed by felling and girdling trees and then burning them to make land arable usually for temporary purposes the slash and burn method of agriculture II. adjective : ruthlessly destructive slash… … Useful english dictionary
