4.1.1. Primitive Subsistence Farming

This type of farming is still practised in few pockets of India. Primitive subsistence agriculture is practised on small patches of land with the help of primitive tools like hoe, dao and digging sticks, and family/community labour.

Primitive subsistence farming is a traditional form of agriculture where families or small communities grow crops on small pieces of land. They use simple tools, like hoes and digging sticks, instead of modern machinery. This type of farming relies on family and community labor rather than hired workers.

Imagine a small village where families work together in their gardens, using only basic tools to grow their food. Each family cultivates a small piece of land, providing for their own needs without large-scale methods or modern equipment.

This type of farming depends upon monsoon, natural fertility of the soil and suitability of other environmental conditions to the crops grown.

Farmers engaged in primitive subsistence farming heavily rely on the monsoon rains to water their crops. They also depend on the natural fertility of the soil. The success of their crops is closely linked to the local climate and soil condition, as they do not use chemical fertilizers or irrigation systems.

Think of it like watering your garden with rainwater rather than using sprinklers. If the rain is good, you get great vegetables; if not, your garden might struggle. Similarly, these farmers must wait for the right weather patterns.

It is a ‘slash and burn’ agriculture. Farmers clear a patch of land and produce cereals and other food crops to sustain their family.

The method of ‘slash and burn’ involves cutting down and burning trees and plants in a forested area to create arable land. This technique was traditionally used because it helps clear the land and fertilizes the soil with ash. Farmers grow their crops for a few seasons before moving on to another area when the soil nutrients decrease.

Imagine you clear a small section of forest, burn the leftover plants to enrich the soil, and plant seeds for a few years. After a while, to keep the harvest going, you move to a new clearing to repeat the process, allowing the original patch to regain its nutrients.

When the soil fertility decreases, the farmers shift and clear a fresh patch of land for cultivation. This type of shifting allows nature to replenish the fertility of the soil through natural processes; land productivity in this type of agriculture is low as the farmer does not use fertilizers or other modern inputs.

As soil in a cultivated patch loses its nutrients, farmers practicing primitive farming will relocate to a different patch, allowing the previously used patch to recover naturally. Unfortunately, since they don't use modern agricultural techniques or fertilizers, the overall productivity remains relatively low.

Consider a school project where you repeatedly use the same piece of paper to write. Eventually, the paper becomes worn out and can’t hold ink anymore. If you take a break and use fresh paper, it works better. Similarly, farmers must move to keep their farming productive.

It is known by different names in different parts of the country. Can you name some such types of farmings? It is jhumming in northeastern states like Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagaland; Pamlou in Manipur, Dipa in Bastar district of Chhattisgarh, and in Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

The practice of primitive subsistence farming goes by various names based on the region in India. For example, it is referred to as 'jhumming' in the northeastern states and 'Pamlou' in Manipur. Different local terms reflect the adaptation of this ancient practice to the specific cultures and environments of these areas.

Just as a dish might be called a different name in different languages—like calling the same food 'tacos' or 'tortillas'—the same farming practice has local names, highlighting the uniqueness of each community’s approach to agriculture.

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