ABSTRACT
Shifting cultivation, also known as “swidden” or slash-and-burn cultivation, is arguably the original form of agriculture. It is an intrinsically extensive form of production and consequently is highly susceptible to ecological constraints and population pressures. As a result, much of the world’s agrarian history has pivoted on man’s efforts to increase the returns per head from agriculture, either through intensification of production or reduction of the population dependent upon the land, or usually a combination of both.
