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An Assessment of Trends in the Extent of Swidden in Southeast Asia

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Abstract

Swidden systems consisting of temporarily cultivated land and associated fallows often do not appear on land use maps or in statistical records. This is partly due to the fact that swidden is a diverse and dynamic land use system that is difficult to map and partly because of the practice of grouping land covers associated with swidden systems into land use or land cover categories that are not self-evidently linked to swiddening. Additionally, in many parts of Southeast Asia swidden systems have changed or are in the process of changing into other land use systems. This paper assesses the extent of swidden on the basis of regional and national sources for nine countries, and determines the pattern of changes of swidden on the basis of 151 cases culled from 67 articles. Findings include (1) a majority of the cases document swidden being replaced by other forms of agriculture or by other livelihood systems; (2) in cases where swiddening is still practiced, fallow lengths are usually, but not always, shorter; and (3) shortened fallow length does not necessarily indicate a trend away from swidden since it is observed that short fallow swidden is sometimes maintained along with other more intensive farming practices and not completely abandoned. The paper concludes that there is a surprising lack of conclusive data on the extent of swidden in Southeast Asia. In order to remedy this, methods are reviewed that may lead to more precise future assessments.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the Ford Foundation Vietnam which provided funding for a workshop in Hanoi, in March 2008, where the data in this paper were discussed.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Environment, Resources and Development, Asian Institute of Technology, Pathum Thani, 12120, Thailand

    Dietrich Schmidt-Vogt

  2. Department of Anthropology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, 80523, USA

    Stephen J. Leisz

  3. Department of Geography and Geology, University of Copenhagen, Øster Voldgade 10, 1350, Copenhagen K, Denmark

    Ole Mertz

  4. Swiss National Centre of Competence in Research North South, Institute of Geography, University of Berne, Hallerstrasse 10, Berne, 3012, Switzerland

    Andreas Heinimann, Peter Messerli & Michael Epprecht

  5. Walai Rukhavej Botanical Research Institute, Mahasarakam University, Maha Sarakham, Thailand

    Thiha Thiha

  6. Vietnam National University, Hanoi, Vietnam

    Pham Van Cu & Vu Kim Chi

  7. Jl. Bukit Nusa Indah No. 70, Ciputat, 15414, Indonesia

    Martin Hardiono

  8. Center for Natural Resources and Environmental Studies, 19 Le Thanh Tong, Hanoi, Vietnam

    Truong M. Dao

Authors
  1. Dietrich Schmidt-Vogt
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  2. Stephen J. Leisz
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  3. Ole Mertz
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  4. Andreas Heinimann
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  5. Thiha Thiha
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  6. Peter Messerli
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  7. Michael Epprecht
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  8. Pham Van Cu
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  9. Vu Kim Chi
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  10. Martin Hardiono
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  11. Truong M. Dao
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Stephen J. Leisz.

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Schmidt-Vogt, D., Leisz, S.J., Mertz, O. et al. An Assessment of Trends in the Extent of Swidden in Southeast Asia. Hum Ecol 37, 269–280 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10745-009-9239-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10745-009-9239-0

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