ABSTRACT

One of the options available for increasing the productivity of shifting cultivation systems is to grow high-value products within the forest that develops during the fallow period. This kind of agroforestry system can provide a range of benefits to the farm household, including additional cash and in-kind income, as well as the benefits of income diversification, risk spreading, and evidence of land occupancy. Moreover, this approach may make longer fallow periods economically feasible on a given plot of land, with associated benefits of soil regeneration, weed control, and enhanced ecological functions.