Question

what problem did shifting cultivators face under British rule

Answer 1

The British were uncomfortable with groups who moved from one part of the region to the other and did not have fixed homes.

For administrative and economic reasons, the British government wanted  the jhum or shifting cultivators to settle down and become peasant cultivators. However, settled plough cultivation did not prove to be helpful to these jhum cultivators in areas where water was scarce and soil was dry.They often suffered because their fields did not produce good yields.

The new forest laws also affected the lives of the shifting cultivators. Shifting or jhum cultivation is usually done on small patches of forest land. Under the forest laws, the British extended their control over all forests and declared forests as the state property. Thus, in these forests, people were not allowed to move freely, and  the jhum cultivators were prevented from practising jhum cultivation freely. Many were forced to move to other areas in search of work and livelihood.

Answer 2

Answer:

The shifting cultivators were forced to take up settled cultivation. But type of land and shortage of water meant they could not produce enough. Many of them had to move on to other areas in search of work when access to the forest was restricted.