Simple agricultural method whereby natural vegetation is cut and burned, and the clearing then farmed for a few years until the soil loses its fertility, whereupon farmers move on and leave the area to regrow. Although this is possible with a small, widely dispersed population, as in the Amazon rainforest for example, it becomes unsustainable with more people and is now a cause of deforestation.
Ghana was the first country to adopt the pan-African colours. The star is known as the ‘lode star of African freedom’. Effective date: 28 February 1966.