The correct option is (c).
Explanation
Shifting Cultivation, widely known as "Slash and Burn" agriculture, is a primitive subsistence farming method primarily found in tropical regions with dense vegetation.
- Statement 1 is Correct: This form of cultivation is extensively practiced in the thickly forested areas of the Amazon basin, tropical Africa, parts of Southeast Asia, and Northeast India. These regions support the rapid regeneration of vegetation required for this cycle.
- Statement 2 is Incorrect: The process involves clearing a plot of land by felling trees and burning them. The burning is a crucial step because the resulting ash provides potash and other essential nutrients to the soil. It is incorrect to state that trees are never burned.
- Statement 3 is Correct: The land is cultivated for a short period until the soil loses its fertility or is encroached upon by weeds. Once productivity declines, the plot is abandoned (left fallow) to allow the natural vegetation to regenerate, and the cultivators shift to a new patch of land.
Key Takeaway: Shifting cultivation relies on the "Slash and Burn" technique to temporarily enrich the soil with ash, necessitating the rotational abandonment of land to restore fertility naturally.