ABSTRACT
Upland swidden agriculture constitutes a profound relationship between humans and nature. Countless ethnic groups in Europe, tropical Africa, the Americas, and the Asia-Pacific region have practiced it since the Neolithic era. Today, in tropical and subtropical zones, swidden agriculture still persists under a variety of names. It involves the clearing and burning of primary or secondary forest, dibbling and dropping seeds, and growing crops without fertilizer. Fields are planted with as many as five crops, over several years, before the soil loses its fertility and weed competition becomes too serious. Then the swidden is abandoned, the farmers move to a new plot, and the forest regenerates. The actual area of cultivation takes up only 15% to 20% of the cleared surface area (Cuc 1993).
