Description:
Abstract Swidden cultivators are often found as a distinct
category of farmers in the literature, but rarely appear in
population censuses or other national and regional classifications.
This has led to a worldwide confusion on how
many people are dependent on this form of agriculture. The
most often cited number of 200?300 million dates back to
the early 1970s, but the source is obscure. We assess
available, published data from nine countries in Southeast
Asia and conclude that on this basis it is not possible to
provide a firm estimate of the number of swidden
cultivators in the region. A conservative range of 14?34
million people engaged in swidden cultivation in the region is suggested, however. We argue that along with improved
knowledge of swidden livelihoods, there is an urgent need
to develop techniques that will allow for better estimates of
swidden populations in order to secure appropriate rural
development and poverty reduction in swidden areas.....
Keywords: Shifting cultivation . Population . Census .
Southeast Asia.
Source/publisher:
"Human Ecology" (2009) 37:281?289
Date of Publication:
2009-05-27
Date of entry:
2015-02-02
Grouping:
- Individual Documents
Category:
Language:
English
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Format:
pdf
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174.57 KB