Shifting cultivation is known as 'Kuruwa' in which state?

In Jharkhand, shifting cultivation is locally called "Kuruwa". It has traditionally been practised by tribal communities, such as the Paharia, in the hilly and forested parts of the state, especially in the Rajmahal hills of the Santhal Pargana region.

About the Paharia tribes:

• The Sauria Paharia and Mal Paharia live in the Rajmahal hills of Jharkhand (in districts such as Sahebganj, Pakur, Godda and Dumka).
• The Sauria Paharia are classified as a particularly vulnerable tribal group (PVTG).
• They traditionally practised shifting cultivation on hill slopes, growing crops such as maize, millets, sorghum and pulses.

How shifting cultivation works:

• A patch of forest is cleared by cutting and burning the vegetation.
• Crops are grown for a few years until soil fertility falls.
• The farmers then move to a new patch, leaving the old one fallow to regain fertility.

Why it continues in tribal areas:

• Steep slopes and thin soils make plough farming difficult.
• It fits the traditional knowledge, community land use and food needs of forest-dwelling tribes.

Problems:

Shorter fallow periods due to rising population cause deforestation, soil erosion and declining yields.

Efforts to change:

• Government programmes encourage tribal farmers to adopt settled agriculture, terracing, horticulture, tree planting and soil conservation, often through watershed development projects.
• The Forest Rights Act, 2006 recognises the rights of forest dwellers to land and forest resources.

Jharkhand's agriculture:

• Most farming in Jharkhand is rain-fed, on the uneven Chota Nagpur plateau with red and laterite soils.
• Paddy is the main crop; maize, pulses and oilseeds are also grown.
• Irrigation is limited, so farmers depend heavily on the monsoon.

Other names of shifting cultivation:

Jhum (north-east), Bewar or Dahiya (Madhya Pradesh), Valre or Waltre (Rajasthan) and Kumari (Western Ghats).

Why not the other options?

• ✗Madhya Pradesh uses the name Bewar or Dahiya.
• ✗Rajasthan uses the name Valre or Waltre.
• ✗Mizoram uses the name Jhum.