The main difference between shifting cultivation and nomadic herding is that in shifting cultivation, people do not travel with their animals, while in nomadic herding, a group of people travel to different places with their animals. Subsistence farming is a type of farming done to meet the needs of the farmer’s family, using a low level of technology and household labor. It is done in small areas and produces a little outcome. There are two types of primitive subsistence farming – shifting cultivation and nomadic herding. In shifting cultivation, small plots are cleared and cultivated, then the cultivation is shifted to another new plot, leaving the cultivated area for fallow vegetation to grow. In nomadic herding, nomads travel to different places with their herds searching for new pastures and cultivate to fulfill the needs of the group.
Key Takeaways
- Shifting cultivation involves cultivating a small plot of land, leaving it for fallow vegetation to grow, and moving cultivation to a new plot.
- Nomadic herding involves a group of people traveling with their animals to different places in search of new pastures.
- Both shifting cultivation and nomadic herding are types of primitive subsistence farming, done temporarily and often preferred by indigenous communities.
