Characteristics

  •     Rotation of crops rather than crop fields.
  •     Less than adequate fallow periods.
  •     Sedentary settlement especially in nucleated villages
  •     Some application of compost manure, fertilisers, mulching and other forms of soil conservation methods
  •     Increasing use of draft animal and tractor power.
  •     Increasing emphasis on cash export crops.
  •   Small holder farms are operated by a family unit.
In general , the crops grown are similar to those grown under shifting cultivation, but more stress is placed upon perennial crops and cash crops.
In Africa the crops grown include: millet, sorghum, maize, bananas, potatoes, cassava, beans, peas, yams, simsim, groundnuts, cocoa, rice, cotton, coffee, wheat and tobacco.
This kind of farming is common in all African countries. The farmer concentrates his efforts on relatively small   plots of land which he works intensively year after year.
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