'Slash and burn' agriculture is called 'Podu' or 'Penda' in which state?

In Andhra Pradesh, shifting (slash and burn) cultivation is known as "Podu" or "Penda". It is practised by tribal communities in the forested hills of the Eastern Ghats, especially in the agency (tribal) areas of districts such as Visakhapatnam, East Godavari and Srikakulam, and in neighbouring Telangana. The term "Podu" is also used in parts of southern Odisha.

How it is practised:

• Tribal farmers clear patches of forest on hill slopes by cutting and burning the vegetation.
• They grow crops such as millets (ragi, jowar, sama), pulses, maize and vegetables for a few years.
• When yields fall, they move to a new patch, allowing the old one to regenerate.

Communities involved:

Tribal groups such as the Konda Reddis, Savaras, Kondhs and Koya practise podu cultivation.

Issues:

• Shorter fallow periods due to population pressure have led to deforestation and soil erosion in the Eastern Ghats.
• There have been conflicts between tribal farmers and the forest department over podu lands.
• The Forest Rights Act, 2006 allows tribal and forest-dwelling families to claim rights over forest land they have traditionally cultivated, and many podu farmers have received titles under it.
• Governments encourage tribal farmers to adopt horticulture (such as coffee and cashew plantations in the Araku valley), tree planting and settled farming.

Regional names of shifting cultivation in India:

• Jhum: north-eastern states.
• Podu or Penda: Andhra Pradesh (and parts of Odisha and Telangana).
• Bewar or Dahiya: Madhya Pradesh.
• Valre or Waltre: south-eastern Rajasthan.
• Kuruwa: Jharkhand.
• Kumari: Western Ghats.
• Khil: Himalayan region.

Names in other countries:

Milpa (Mexico and Central America), Roca (Brazil), Conuco (Venezuela) and Masole (Central Africa).

Why not the other options?

• ✗Madhya Pradesh uses the name Bewar or Dahiya.
• ✗Rajasthan uses the name Valre or Waltre.
• ✗Jharkhand uses the name Kuruwa.