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A fresh look at shifting cultivation: Fallow length an uncertain indicator of productivity

Shifting cultivation is practiced by millions of farmers in the tropics and has been accused of causing deforestation and keeping farmers in poverty. The assumed positive relationship between fallow length and crop yields has long shaped such negative opinions on the sustainability and environment...

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Main Author: Gabriel Tonga, Noweg
Format: E-Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier Ltd. 2008
Subjects:
S Agriculture (General)
Online Access:http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/12271/1/A%20fresh%20look%20at%20shifting%20cultivation%20fallow%20length%20an%20uncertain%20indicator%20of%20productivity%20%28abstract%29.pdf
http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/12271/
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308521X07000790
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spelling my.unimas.ir.122712016-06-09T01:40:23Z http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/12271/ A fresh look at shifting cultivation: Fallow length an uncertain indicator of productivity Gabriel Tonga, Noweg S Agriculture (General) Shifting cultivation is practiced by millions of farmers in the tropics and has been accused of causing deforestation and keeping farmers in poverty. The assumed positive relationship between fallow length and crop yields has long shaped such negative opinions on the sustainability and environmental impact of the system, as population growth is believed inevitably to lead to its collapse. Empirical evidence for this assumption is scarce, however, and a better understanding of system dynamics is needed before discarding shifting cultivation as unsustainable. With cases from Malaysia and Indonesia, we show that fallow length is a weak predictor of crop yields, though interactions with fertilizer inputs may increase its importance. Other factors such as drought, flooding, and pests are more important determinants of yields. The implication is that when using natural fallow as the only means of nutrient supply, there is no need to cut old fallow vegetation. Moreover, there is no evidence of system collapse, even at short fallow periods. We conclude that shifting cultivation should be accepted as a rational land use system and that earlier calls for bringing a ‘‘Green Revolution’’ to shifting cultivators are still relevant to achieve intensive and sustainable production. Elsevier Ltd. 2008 E-Article PeerReviewed text en http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/12271/1/A%20fresh%20look%20at%20shifting%20cultivation%20fallow%20length%20an%20uncertain%20indicator%20of%20productivity%20%28abstract%29.pdf Gabriel Tonga, Noweg (2008) A fresh look at shifting cultivation: Fallow length an uncertain indicator of productivity. Agricultural Systems, 96 (1). pp. 75-84. ISSN 0308-521X http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308521X07000790 doi:10.1016/j.agsy.2007.06.002
institution Universiti Malaysia Sarawak
building Centre for Academic Information Services (CAIS)
collection Institutional Repository
continent Asia
country Malaysia
content_provider Universiti Malaysia Sarawak
content_source UNIMAS Institutional Repository
url_provider http://ir.unimas.my/
language English
topic S Agriculture (General)
spellingShingle S Agriculture (General)
Gabriel Tonga, Noweg
A fresh look at shifting cultivation: Fallow length an uncertain indicator of productivity
description Shifting cultivation is practiced by millions of farmers in the tropics and has been accused of causing deforestation and keeping farmers in poverty. The assumed positive relationship between fallow length and crop yields has long shaped such negative opinions on the sustainability and environmental impact of the system, as population growth is believed inevitably to lead to its collapse. Empirical evidence for this assumption is scarce, however, and a better understanding of system dynamics is needed before discarding shifting cultivation as unsustainable. With cases from Malaysia and Indonesia, we show that fallow length is a weak predictor of crop yields, though interactions with fertilizer inputs may increase its importance. Other factors such as drought, flooding, and pests are more important determinants of yields. The implication is that when using natural fallow as the only means of nutrient supply, there is no need to cut old fallow vegetation. Moreover, there is no evidence of system collapse, even at short fallow periods. We conclude that shifting cultivation should be accepted as a rational land use system and that earlier calls for bringing a ‘‘Green Revolution’’ to shifting cultivators are still relevant to achieve intensive and sustainable production.
format E-Article
author Gabriel Tonga, Noweg
author_facet Gabriel Tonga, Noweg
author_sort Gabriel Tonga, Noweg
title A fresh look at shifting cultivation: Fallow length an uncertain indicator of productivity
title_short A fresh look at shifting cultivation: Fallow length an uncertain indicator of productivity
title_full A fresh look at shifting cultivation: Fallow length an uncertain indicator of productivity
title_fullStr A fresh look at shifting cultivation: Fallow length an uncertain indicator of productivity
title_full_unstemmed A fresh look at shifting cultivation: Fallow length an uncertain indicator of productivity
title_sort fresh look at shifting cultivation: fallow length an uncertain indicator of productivity
publisher Elsevier Ltd.
publishDate 2008
url http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/12271/1/A%20fresh%20look%20at%20shifting%20cultivation%20fallow%20length%20an%20uncertain%20indicator%20of%20productivity%20%28abstract%29.pdf
http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/12271/
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308521X07000790
_version_ 1644511380906180608
score 13.211869

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