In the mid to late 20th century, swidden was seen as a disastrous activity which was destroying forests that should either be used for conservation or logging. Some argue that part of the immense diversity of these forests is due to shifting cultivation practices, rather than endangered by them.įire is one tool that is carefully used in these farming systems, which have been developed over generations to be appropriate to both the land and the community. This type of “slash and burn” is better referred to as “swidden agriculture” or “shifting cultivation". In fact, across the ecologically vital forests of Amazonia, Borneo and Central Africa, tribal peoples have developed complex farming systems based on clearing land for a short period and then leaving it to return to forest for a longer period. But under-informed policy-makers have lumped all such practices together and portrayed them as an environmental evil. This invasive ‘pioneering’ bears no real resemblance to the careful nurturing and rotating of plots practiced by generations of tribal peoples. It is also used to describe the rampant encroachment of farms and ranches into forested areas, first by felling the trees, then burning the stumps and then planting. There are a huge number of different farming practices that are lumped together under the disparaging term ‘slash and burn’, otherwise known as swidden or shifting cultivation. This page was created in 2013 and may contain language which is now outdated.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |