Chena

/ˈtʃɛnə/ noun

Definition

A system of shifting cultivation practiced in Sri Lanka where forests are cleared, burned, and cultivated for crops before being left to regenerate.

Etymology

From Sinhala chēnā, relating to traditional agricultural practices in South Asia. Related to similar slash-and-burn systems known by other names in different regions.

Kelly Says

Chena farming is a sustainable system that has worked for centuries in Sri Lanka—the burned forest becomes fertilizer, and the land regenerates before being farmed again, showing ancient peoples understood crop rotation.

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