Nath Arun Jyoti, Reang Demsai, Sileshi Gudeta W
Department of Ecology and Environmental Science Assam University Silchar 788011 India.
Department of Plant Biology and Biodiversity Management Addis Ababa 3434 Ethiopia.
Glob Chall. 2022 Jun 10;6(8):2200051. doi: 10.1002/gch2.202200051. eCollection 2022 Aug.
Shifting cultivation entails clearing a delimited land and transforming it into arable land. Owing to its complexity, this system has been a subject of debate and intervention since the colonial-era, and is often considered as the "tropical deforestation culprit." Shifting cultivators are often labeled as "forest eaters" and are considered backward and primitive. Opponents of shifting cultivation often attribute the loss of forest cover to shifting cultivation, and favor intensification, claiming that commercial plantations are more productive. However, attempts to replace it have often failed due to inadequate understanding of the system and the decision-making processes involved. On the other hand, a growing body of literature provides evidence that shifting cultivation is an ecologically and economically efficient practice. After a careful review of the literature, the authors conclude that the dichotomy of opinions is the consequence of the attribution problem. The authors also argue that the management of forest ecosystems will be challenging if policy and practice are not based on careful understanding of the power of this age-old practice. Hence, there is a need for a careful diagnosis of this system and a rethink before claiming that the system is unsustainable and attempting to replace it with practices such as plantations.
刀耕火种涉及清理一块划定的土地并将其转变为可耕地。由于其复杂性，自殖民时代以来，这种系统一直是争论和干预的对象，并且常常被视为“热带森林砍伐的罪魁祸首”。刀耕火种的从业者常常被贴上“食林者”的标签，被认为是落后和原始的。刀耕火种的反对者常常将森林覆盖面积的减少归因于刀耕火种，并支持集约化，声称商业种植园的生产力更高。然而，由于对该系统以及相关决策过程缺乏足够的了解，取代它的尝试往往以失败告终。另一方面，越来越多的文献证据表明刀耕火种是一种生态和经济上高效的做法。在仔细查阅文献之后，作者们得出结论，观点的二分法是归因问题的结果。作者们还认为，如果政策和实践不是基于对这种古老做法的力量的仔细理解，森林生态系统的管理将具有挑战性。因此，在声称该系统不可持续并试图用种植园等做法取代它之前，需要对这个系统进行仔细诊断并重新思考。
