ABSTRACT
In the Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts of the Konkan, shifting cultivation is practised intensively in villages in the foothills of the Sahyadri ranges, providing the main source of subsistence. Research has concentrated on soil quality or other areas with potential for improvement in shifting cultivation practices, but relatively few studies have examined the role of shifting agriculture in forest regeneration. The detailed research into shifting cultivation in the Northwestern Ghats in 2001 and 2002, studies focused on regeneration patterns of fallows of different ages. The practice of shifting agriculture in the Northwestern Ghats has dwindled very rapidly over the past decade due to a lack of manpower, changing land-use practices and the impact of globalization and markets. Shifting cultivation has received a great deal of attention due to its observed or hypothesized role in deforestation and loss of biodiversity. The study presented in this chapter clearly indicates the relationship between shifting agriculture and the potential of vegetation to regenerate.
