Question

Jhum cultivation is a method of cultivation which used to be practiced in________
A.Central highland
B.Kerala
C.Himachal Pradesh
D.Coastal Tamil Nadu

Answer 1

Hint:
This type of cultivation is majorly practised in various kinds of the world's Humid Low-Latitude, or climate regions, that usually have relatively high temperatures and abundant rainfall.

Complete answer:
Jhum or jhoom cultivation is also known as shifting cultivation or cultivation or slash and burn cultivation. Jhum cultivation was practiced in Central Highland .

In Shifting cultivation, the cultivated or cropped area is shifted regularly in order to allow the soil properties to recover under conditions of natural successive stages of regrowth. In a system of shifting cultivation, at any specific point in time a minority of ‘fields’ is generally cultivation and a majority are in several stages of natural re-growth. Over the time, fields are usually cultivated for a relatively short time, and allowed to recover, or are fallowed, for a relatively longer period of time. Eventually with time, a previously cultivated field will be cleared of the natural vegetation and planted in crops again. Fields in established and stable shifting cultivation systems are cultivated and are fallowed cyclically. This kind of farming is called humming in India. It has been practised in the forested regions of the Central Highlands of India which comprise of three main plateaus — the Malwa Plateau in the west, the Deccan Plateau in the south (covering most of the Indian peninsula) and the Chhota Nagpur Plateau in the east.

Shifting cultivation is practiced by about 250 million people, especially in the tropical rain forests of South America, Central and West Africa, and Southeast Asia. In our country, India, it is practised by the hill tribes of Northeastern hill region such as in the states of Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland,Tripura, Arunachal pradesh and Mizoram as well as in the states of Sikkim, Bihar, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Maharashtra. In the state of Andhra Pradesh it is practiced in the districts of Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, Khammam , East and West Godavari districts and sparsely in Adilabad district. In all these regions , jhum cultivation is commonly known by vernacular names.

Hence, the correct answer is option A.

Note:
The word Jhum or Podu in general means shifting or slash and burn cultivation. It is said to be one of the oldest practices of agriculture systems. It is also known as Jhum in Northeastern India, Podu in Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and some other southern Indian states.