In slash-and-burn strategy a swidden is a field created by chopping and incinerating vegetation in a forest or woodland. Cutting down trees and woody plants in an area is the first step in the procedure. The destroyed vegetation, known as “slash,” is then allowed to dry, generally just before the rainy season begins. The debris is then charred, leaving in a nutrient-rich layer of ash that fertilises the soil while also eradicating weed and insect populations momentarily. Due to nutrient depletion and weed and pest invasion, the plot’s output declines after three to five years, prompting the farmers to quit the field and relocate to a new location.A swidden’s recovery time varies by region and can range from five to twenty years, after which the plot can be chopped and burnt again, resuming the process. The practise is known as jhum in Bangladesh and India.

Slash-and-burn agriculture is a sort of shifting cultivation in which peasants migrate from one cultivable region to the other on a regular basis. Slash-and-burn is used by 200 million to 500 million people globally, according to estimates. Slash-and-burn deforestation is a short-term solution. Farmers benefit from the ashes of burned trees because they provide nutrients to the soil. For enormous human populations, the methodology isn’t sustainable.