ABSTRACT
Taungyas fall under the heading of silvicultural agroforestry. In the mid-1800's, the practice and the term taungya gained silvicultural prominence. As a land-use alternative, taungyas have parallels in nature. The cropping phase, either planted before or simultaneous with tree plantings, is akin to the scrub phase that begins post-disturbance forest succession. Instead of fighting weeds, a simple taungya seeks to replace these with income-earning grasses or agricultural crops. The more complex taungyas mimic the succession of understory and overstory plants. Whatever type, the taungya offers economic and ecological advantages. In the taungya, the fruit is actively sought and contributes to the economic success for at least one of the successional phases. The extended taungya has cropping or grazing occurring throughout an entire plantation sequence. In contrast to the simple taungya, the extended taungya may serve better when agriculture and forestry are undertaken by a single management entity.
