Unstable shifting agriculture

Shifting cultivation

Nature

Shifting cultivation is a traditional method of cultivating tropical upland soils, used mainly for subsistence purposes. During the fallow periods of rest intervening between crops, the natural fertility of the soil is restored for renewed utilization in a subsequent period of crop growth. This traditional system of cultivation is in ecological balance with the environment and does not irreversibly degrade the soil resource, provided a sufficient length of fallow is allowed for soil restoration. However, increasing population pressures have necessitated more intensive use of land, particularly in the humid tropics of Asia and in the savanna and forest zones in Africa. The consequence is extended cropping periods and shortened fallows, which are inadequate to restore the soil's productive capacity. The subsistence farmers in the tropics are thus caught in a cycle of increasingly falling yields, more poverty and even less opportunity to subsist, let alone to improve their standard of living. In addition to this perpetuation of human misery, shifting cultivation, as currently practised in many areas, is wasteful of scarce land resources and frequently leads to intolerable erosion, particularly of hillsides and sloping lands.

Incidence

Shifting agriculture, also known as swidden or slash-and-burn cultivation, remains prevalent in tropical regions, particularly in parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Amazon Basin. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, an estimated 200 million people worldwide depend on shifting cultivation, with approximately 300,000 square kilometers of forest cleared annually for this purpose. The instability of this practice is exacerbated by increasing population pressures and reduced fallow periods, leading to declining soil fertility and land degradation.
In northern Laos, unstable shifting agriculture became a significant concern in the early 2000s. The shortening of fallow periods due to population growth and land-use restrictions led to severe soil exhaustion and declining crop yields by 2005, threatening local food security and prompting government intervention to promote more sustainable practices.

Claim

Unstable shifting agriculture poses a critical threat to global food security and environmental sustainability. This practice, often driven by climate change and population pressures, leads to soil degradation, deforestation, and loss of biodiversity. As farmers are forced to abandon land in search of fertile soil, entire ecosystems suffer. We must urgently address this issue through sustainable agricultural practices and support for affected communities to ensure a resilient future for both people and the planet.

Counter-claim

Stable shifting agricultural systems should be allowed to maintain themselves since they maintain ecological processes and biological diversity. Unstable systems should be helped to stabilize or (if the population is growing too quickly) helped to change to a sustainable and more productive system.