ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on gender issues within shifting-cultivation systems, particularly those demonstrating farming innovations and improved fallow management. It has structured the discussion to reflect a rough continuum from more enduring to more evolving and tried to begin with historical or comparatively stable patterns and move on to what is changing and how. Cairns highlights the importance of examining gender-related issues across varying stages of swidden-system intensity and again these changing stages are important to bear in mind as we consider the time dimension. The chapter focuses at a few existing studies and observations about gender and technological change. It synthesized the material on gender that other contributors have produced, adding our own field experience and knowledge from the literature deemed relevant. The chapter identified five themes that pertain to gender in swidden systems: Perceptions and symbolism, Divisions of labour, Tenure and access to fields on forests and fallows, Access to technology, markets and cash and Population concerns.
