swidden

Swidden, also known as slash-and-burn or shifting cultivation, is a traditional form of agriculture in which a forest or woodland area is cleared for crop production. Vegetation is cut and dried, and then set on fire. The ash enriches the soil with nutrients, allowing crops to be planted in the cleared patch, or swidden. After a period of cultivation, the land is abandoned and allowed to lie fallow while farmers move to a new plot, enabling vegetation to recover and soil fertility to be restored.

Swidden plots are typically small and interspersed across a landscape. Common crops include maize, millet, sorghum, cassava, yams, and rice, often grown in mixed or polycropping systems. The length of the fallow depends on soil quality, climate, and population pressure, varying from a few years to several decades. In many regions, fallow periods have shortened under demographic pressures, reducing the time available for ecological recovery.

Environmental and social considerations are central to assessments of swiddening. When fallows are long and landscape-scale management is maintained, swidden systems can be relatively low-input and adapt to marginal environments, contributing to food security. However, frequent burning and rapid land clearance can lead to deforestation, soil erosion, biodiversity loss, and increased greenhouse gas emissions. Policy responses range from prohibition and regulation to support for improved fallow management, agroforestry, and tenure arrangements that encourage sustainable practices.

The term encompasses a broad range of practices across tropical regions in Africa, Asia, and the Americas, and remains a subject of ongoing debate regarding its sustainability and role in rural livelihoods.