Classwork Exercise and Series (Geography- SS3): Bush Fallowing

Definition of Bush Fallowing

Bush fallowing is a system of farming whereby the farmer cultivates one piece of land for some years and later leave it for some years with the aim of restoring the fertility of the soil naturally. During this fallow period, the farmer cultivates another piece of land.

Favourable conditions for bush fallowing

1. Abundance of large area in farm lands
2. Low population in the area
3. Low level of education for farmers
4. Use of crude tools and implements
5. Low level of technology

Features of bush fallowing

1. Farming is done on subsistence level
2. It involves the use of crude implements like cutlass and hoe
3. It is common in rural areas with abundant farmlands
4. It involves small holding of farmlands
5. Food crops like yam, maize, cassava etc are grown
6. Farmlands are left to fallow after one or two years of cultivation
7. It uses slash or burn method for land preparation
8. It uses family labour
9. Bush fallowing is practiced where population is very low
10. Pests and disease are not controlled

Types of crops grown

(a)          Root and Tuber crops e.g yam, cassava, cocoyam etc

(b)          Cereals (grain) crop eg rice, millet, maize, sorghum etc

(c)           Berry e.g tomato

(d)          Cash crops e.g cotton, groundnut etc

Advantages of bush fallowing

1. It aids the natural restoration of soil nutrients during the fallow period
2. It helps to control plant and diseases and pests
3. It uses cheap family labour
4. It requires low farm input like cutlass and hoe
5. It ensure continuous sustenance during periods of crop failure
6. It check soil erosion, leaching and weed growth
7. It is easy to practice as low technology as required

Disadvantages of bush fallowing

1. It leads to wastage of land which could have been used by allowing it to lie fallow
2. It leads to soil erosion when soil is exhausted
3. It destroys valuable forest resources like timber
4. It leas to land fragmentation due to increase in population
5. It does not leads to mechanization of farms

 Currents trends in Bush Fallowing

1. The population is fast increasing, hence a reduction in the size of farmlands
2. The land is also becoming scarce due to increase in population
3. The practiced of mechanized agriculture now discourages bush fallowing
4. There is no increase in the use of technology
5. There is no intensive use of fertilizers and manures

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