Compare and contrast shifting cultivation and crop rotation, explaining the importance and disadvantages of shifting cultivation.

i)

• K: Shifting cultivation
• L: Crop rotation

ii)

• K (Shifting cultivation): This system involves cultivating a piece of land for a few years (e.g., Year 1 to Year 4) and then abandoning it to allow it to regain its fertility naturally over a longer period (e.g., Year 7 to Year 10) before returning to cultivate it again.
• L (Crop rotation): This system involves growing different types of crops in a planned sequence on the same piece of land (plots 1, 2, 3, 4) over successive seasons or years to maintain soil fertility and prevent the build-up of pests and diseases.

iii) Two ways in which farming system K (shifting cultivation) is of importance to the farmer are:

• It allows the soil to naturally regain its fertility through fallow periods, reducing the need for artificial fertilizers.
• It helps to control pests and diseases by breaking their life cycles as the cultivated land is moved to a new area.

iv) Three reasons why farming system K (shifting cultivation) is not being encouraged in recent times are:

• It requires large tracts of land, which are becoming scarce due to increasing population and demand for land.
• It often leads to deforestation and habitat destruction as new areas are cleared for cultivation.
• It results in low yields per unit area, making it inefficient for feeding a growing population.

v) One type of crop that could be included in the farmland L (crop rotation) to improve the fertility of the soil is a leguminous crop (e.g., groundnuts, beans, cowpeas).