ABSTRACT
Shifting cultivation has a long history in Sumatra and in Indonesia as a whole. It is one of the oldest agricultural systems in the world and was originally focused on subsistence production. However, over the past 150 years it has been changed by the introduction of the monetary, market-oriented economy and subsequent cash crop cultivation. This transformation process is still continuing and, depending on environmental and infrastructure conditions, local land-use systems are evolving in different directions. This chapter describes recent changes in shifting cultivation systems in central Sumatra and evaluates the factors responsible. Furthermore, it attempts to analyze the conditions under which these systems are diverging and proceeding in different directions.
