WS 1.6

Question 1

Indigenous tribes have lived in the rainforests for thousands of years. They ____________________________________________________________________________ for sources of food. Their lifestyle is called ____________________, because ______________________________________________________________.

Answer 1

hunt, fish, gather wild fruits and nuts and grow a variety of crops in small areas; subsistence; they hunt and grow only what they need to subsist or survive

Question 2

What is the farming method that indigenous tribes use called?
Describe the process of this method.

Answer 2

Shifting cultivation/ slash-and-burn agriculture/ non sedentary farming .

1. Farmers of indigenous tribes choose a suitable site in the rainforest
2. A small area of land in the forest is cleared and the vegetation is burnt
3. Farmers spread the ash over the cleared soil
4. They start planting crops on the soil; Crops grow well in the nutrient rich soil
5. After 3-5 years the soil nutrients in the soil become exhausted and crop yield drops
6. Farmers move on to a new area of forest; the abandoned plot is left to fallow and slowly recovers its vegetation as the nutrient cycle is restored

Question 3

Which parts of the rainforest do farmers of indigenous tribes tend to choose to carry out their farming? Why?

Answer 3

They tend to choose parts of the rainforest where trees are not so dense so that clearing it can be easier.

Question 4

How do farmers of indigenous tribes clear land that they have chosen to grow crops on in the rainforest? Why?

Answer 4

The plot is cleared by cutting trees down; the trees that are cut down can be used in their daily lives. The remaining tree stumps are burnt; this is because rainforest soil is infertile, and the ash obtained from burning tree stumps can be used as a natural fertiliser, increasing the soil fertility of the land and allowing crops to grow better. Moreover, fire helps control weeds, pests and diseases.

Question 5

What crops do farmers from indigenous tribes grow? Describe the scale of their farming. What tools and methods do they use?

Answer 5

They plant food crops such as maize, beans, yams and bananas.
They farm on a small-scale; the crops are only used for self-consumption.
They use simple tools such as knives and axes, and traditional farming methods.

Question 6

How can we tell if soil is no longer fertile?

Answer 6

When soil becomes pale in colour, we know that it is no longer fertile. This is because soil containing organic matter, which in turn contains nutrients, are dark in colour.

Question 7

Name and briefly describe the five agricultural characteristics of the farming system used by indigenous tribes.

Answer 7

Extensive farming — low input and output per land area;
Arable farming — crop growing;
Subsistence — for self consumption;
Low-technology — farming activitiy uses low technology and little energy;
Non-sedentary farming — farmers move from time to time in search of suitable land or pasture

Question 8

Why do indigenous farmers move from one place to another?

Answer 8

This is because farmers do not add chemical fertilisers the field, and the natural soil nutrients in the field are quickly used up.
When the crop yields drop after a few years, farmers abandon the land and move to a new plot of land.
Abandoned fields are left to fallow; and after several decades, trees will regrow and the rainforest can be regenerated.

Question 9

The Nomads’ traditional type of farming — ____________________________ — has ______________________________________________________.

Answer 9

Nomadic herding; adapted to the extremely arid conditions in desert regions

Question 10

Name the four characteristics of Nomadic Herding/ their nomadic lifestyle.

Answer 10

—moving from one place to another
—a variety of livestock which are adapted to living in desert conditions are raised, such as goats, cattle and camels
—small-scale
—their tents are built to allow air to circulate within them, keeping them cool

Question 11

Explain how nomads move from one place to another as part of their nomadic herding.

Answer 11

1. The nomads and their animals migrate from one place to another to adjust to seasonal change all the time
2. After grazing for some months and when the soil of a location is exhausted, the animals are moved to another place for grazing, and the old site is left to fallow. Eventually, the soil recovers its water and nutrients, helping grass regenerate.
3. When there is less grass, the nomads move again

Question 12

How do nomads determine where they should migrate to?

Answer 12

They follow the rainfall, looking for and making effective use of pastures and water available in different places in different seasons.

Question 13

Why do nomads have to migrate from one place to another?

Answer 13

This is due to the low carrying capacity of deserts. There is a discontinuous cover of vegetation in deserts due to the lack of rainfall, and there is not enough grass for animals if they stay at one spot.

Question 14

By carrying out nomadic herding, ____________________________ can be maintained as _________________________________________.

Answer 14

ecological balance, the land could be used for a long time

Question 15

Why do nomads raise a variety of livestock?

Answer 15

This is because different types of animals consume different types of plants; by raising a variety of livestock, the complete consumption of any one particular plant species is prevented. Moreover, these livestock provide nomads with a rich mix of products at different times such as meat, milk and hides for their own use.

Question 16

Why do nomads control the number of animals they raise?

Answer 16

To reduce and limit environmental damage, as animals consume a lot of the limited vegetation and take a heavy toll on the environment.

Question 17

Describe how the nomads’ tents are built to allow air to circulate within them.

Answer 17

Animal hair is used to insulate them, to keep the tent cool during the day and warmer at night.

Question 18

Name and briefly describe the five agricultural characteristics of Nomadic Herding.

Answer 18

Extensive farming — low input and output land per area
Pastoral farming/ livestock rearing — animal raising
Subsistence farming — for self-consumption
Low-technology farming — farming activity uses low technology and little energy
Non-sedentary farming — farmers move from time to time in search of suitable land or pasture

Question 19

What are the advantages of traditional small scale nomadic herding?

Answer 19

—better to the environment
—prevents soil exhaustion
—maintains ecological balance
—land could be used for a long time

Question 20

Name the five ways to classify agriculture.

Answer 20

Inputs-land-ratio/ outputs-land-ratio
Types of output
Uses of outputs
Permanence of farmland or pasture used
Level of technology

Question 21

Name and describe the categories within “Inputs-land-ratio/ outputs-land-ratio” as a way to classify agriculture.

Answer 21

Intensive farming — high input and output per land area

Extensive farming — low input and output land per area

Question 22

Describe the categories within “types of output” as a way to classify agriculture.

Answer 22

Arable farming — crop growing
Livestock rearing/ pastoral farming — animal raising
Mixed farming — crop growing and animal raising on the same farm

Question 23

Describe the categories within “uses of outputs” as a way to classify agriculture.

Answer 23

Subsistence farming — for self-consumption

Commercial farming — for sale

Question 24

Describe the categories within “permanence of farmland or pasture used” as a way to classify agriculture.

Answer 24

Sedentary farming — farmers grow crops or raise livestock at a permanent land site
Non-sedentary farming — farmers move from time to time in search of suitable land or pasture

Question 25

Describe the categories within “level of technology” as a way to classify agriculture.

Answer 25

Low-technology farming — farming activity uses low technology and little energy
High-technology farming — farming activity is specialised, highly mechanised and commercialised

Question 26

Traditional small scale shifting cultivation could be viewed as a ______________________________________.

Answer 26

sustainable type of farming system