Question

Why did the British ban shifting cultivation?

• A. Shifting cultivation was not feasible as it facilitated growth of food crops like maize and millets, not cash crops like tea and coffee.
• B. Shifting cultivation made it difficult for the British to keep track of taxes.
• C. The British feared that the fire started by jhum cultivators would destroy the expensive timber.
• D. Shifting cultivation was not producing a high yield and the British wanted to improve farmers livelihoods by promoting better agricultural practices.

Answer 1

Answer: (B), (C)

The correct options are
B Shifting cultivation made it difficult for the British to keep track of taxes.
C The British feared that the fire started by jhum cultivators would destroy the expensive timber.

The British banned shifting cultivation for two reasons. They wanted to utilise the timber from the forests, and the shifting cultivation would have destroyed the timber. Secondly, shifting cultivation made it hard for the British to collect taxes and track tax collection from jhum cultivators because they kept moving from one place to another.