ABSTRACT

The government of Vietnam has made sustained efforts to halt the spread of shifting cultivation and its impacts on mountain areas. However, despite these efforts, it does not seem to have decreased in importance. More than 2 million people, mostly ethnic minority groups, still depend upon swiddening for their livelihood (Toan 1991; Huyen 1991; Sam 1996) (see Figure 55-1 and Table 55-1).