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Slash and Burn

Definition

Slash and burn is an agricultural technique where vegetation is cut down and burned to clear land for farming. The ashes from the burned vegetation provide nutrients to the soil, allowing crops to be grown temporarily.

Analogy

Imagine you have a messy room that you want to clean up quickly. Instead of organizing everything properly, you decide to throw everything out of the window and burn it in your backyard. This clears up space instantly, but it's not a sustainable or efficient way of keeping your room clean.

Related terms

Deforestation: Deforestation refers to the clearing of forests on a large scale, often for agriculture or logging purposes.

Soil fertility: Soil fertility refers to the ability of soil to provide essential nutrients for plant growth.

Subsistence farming: Subsistence farming is a type of farming where farmers grow crops mainly for their own consumption rather than for sale.

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Subjects (1)

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AP® and SAT® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse this website.