The Shifting Cultivation Juggernaut: An Attribution Problem

• Published in: Global challenges Vol. 6; no. 8; pp. 2200051 - n/a
• Main Authors: Nath, Arun Jyoti, Reang, Demsai, Sileshi, Gudeta W.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Germany John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01.08.2022; John Wiley and Sons Inc; Wiley
• Subjects: Agricultural land; Agriculture; Arable land; Biodiversity; Cultivation; Decision making; Deforestation; ethnic marginalization; Farmers; Forest ecosystems; Forests; Gardening; Hand tools; indigenous farming system; Land use; Literature reviews; Plantations; Population; Shifting cultivation; Strategic management; sustainable forest management; Terrestrial ecosystems; tropical deforestation; Vegetation; Southeast Asia; Asia; Philippines; Africa; tropical deforestation; sustainable forest management; indigenous farming system; ethnic marginalization
• ISSN: 2056-6646; 2056-6646
• DOI: 10.1002/gch2.202200051

Shifting cultivation entails clearing a delimited land and transforming it into arable land. Owing to its complexity, this system has been a subject of debate and intervention since the colonial‐era, and is often considered as the “tropical deforestation culprit.” Shifting cultivators are often labeled as “forest eaters” and are considered backward and primitive. Opponents of shifting cultivation often attribute the loss of forest cover to shifting cultivation, and favor intensification, claiming that commercial plantations are more productive. However, attempts to replace it have often failed due to inadequate understanding of the system and the decision‐making processes involved. On the other hand, a growing body of literature provides evidence that shifting cultivation is an ecologically and economically efficient practice. After a careful review of the literature, the authors conclude that the dichotomy of opinions is the consequence of the attribution problem. The authors also argue that the management of forest ecosystems will be challenging if policy and practice are not based on careful understanding of the power of this age‐old practice. Hence, there is a need for a careful diagnosis of this system and a rethink before claiming that the system is unsustainable and attempting to replace it with practices such as plantations. Shifting cultivation is practiced widely in the tropical uplands, covering roughly 280 million hectares of land. However, divergent perspectives and multiple attributions are often offered, and some of them have long shaped negative opinions. The authors conclude that shifting cultivation remains a complex and misunderstood form of agricultural practice, and it should be accepted as a rational land use system.