"Slash-and-burn agriculture is a farming method that involves the cutting and burning of plants in a forest or woodland to create a field called a swidden."
The use of traditional ecological knowledge and practices for land management, such as swidden agriculture, shifting cultivation, and rotational grazing, which are adapted to local environmental conditions and promote sustainability and biodiversity.
Indigenous farming techniques: Methods and strategies used by traditional farmers to grow crops and raise livestock.
Soil management: Cultivation practices that maintain soil fertility and improve soil quality.
Water management: Traditional water conservation practices that capture, store, and distribute water for farming.
Crop diversity: Cultivation of a variety of crops in a single field or farm to promote ecological resilience and food security.
Seed sovereignty: The rights of farmers to save, exchange and sell local and traditional seed varieties.
Crop rotation: A system of plant cultivation that involves rotating crops to improve soil fertility and reduce pest and disease incidence.
Agroforestry: A practice that combines agriculture and forestry, where trees are grown together with crops and livestock.
Livestock management: Traditional practices for raising and managing livestock in a sustainable manner.
Food preservation: Traditional methods of food preservation, such as drying, smoking, fermenting, and salting.
Traditional knowledge systems: Cultural beliefs, practices and stories that shape the way indigenous people interact with their environment.
Land tenure: The ways in which land ownership, use and access are determined within indigenous communities.
Community-based management: A system that places the responsibility of managing agricultural resources in the hands of local communities.
Sacred sites: Areas of land that are considered sacred by indigenous communities and used for spiritual and cultural practices.
Traditional ecological knowledge: The complex knowledge systems and practices that guide indigenous peoples' use and management of natural resources.
Indigenous languages: Languages spoken by indigenous communities that are rich in agricultural vocabulary and knowledge.
Traditional medicinal plants: Plants and herbs used in traditional medicine to treat illnesses and alleviate symptoms.
Spiritual values: The spiritual beliefs and practices that shape indigenous peoples' relationship with the land and natural resources.
slash-and-burn agriculture: Involves cutting down and burning trees or vegetation to clear land for cultivation. After a few years of cropping, the land is left fallow for several years to regenerate.
terracing: Is a farming method that involves creating flat platforms on steep hillsides. Terraces trap water and prevent soil erosion, enabling farmers to cultivate crops on slopes.
irrigation farming: Is the practice of artificially watering crops to improve yields. This method is prevalent in areas where rainfall is scarce.
mixed farming: Involves raising different crops and animals on the same land. This practice allows farmers to diversify their income, as well as fertilize the soil and control pests.
nomadic herding: Is a way of life where pastoral communities move their livestock from place to place in search of food and water.
agroforestry: Involves planting crops and trees together in the same piece of land to improve soil structure, conserve water, and boost biodiversity.
shifting cultivation: Is a traditional farming system where farmers move from one location to another to plant and harvest crops. This method is prevalent in forested areas.
seed saving: Is a practice where farmers collect, store, and replant seeds from their crops to preserve their genetic diversity and ensure food security.
"The method begins by cutting down the trees and woody plants in an area."
"The downed vegetation, or 'slash', is then left to dry, usually right before the rainiest part of the year."
"Burning the biomass results in a nutrient-rich layer of ash which makes the soil fertile, as well as temporarily eliminating weed and pest species."
"After about three to five years, the plot's productivity decreases due to depletion of nutrients along with weed and pest invasion."
"The farmers abandon the field and move to a new area due to the plot's decreased productivity caused by nutrient depletion and weed/pest invasion."
"The time it takes for a swidden to recover depends on the location and can be as little as five years to more than twenty years."
"In Bangladesh and India, the practice is known as jhum or jhoom."
"Slash-and-burn is a type of shifting cultivation, an agricultural system in which farmers routinely move from one cultivable area to another."
"A rough estimate is that 200 million to 500 million people worldwide use slash-and-burn."
"Slash-and-burn causes temporary deforestation."
"Ashes from the burnt trees help farmers by providing nutrients for the soil."
"In low density of human population, this approach is very sustainable but the technique is not scalable for large human populations."
"A similar term is assarting, which is the clearing of forests, usually (but not always) for the purpose of agriculture."
"Assarting does not include burning."
"The cutting and burning of plants in a forest or woodland creates a field called a swidden."
"Burning the biomass temporarily eliminates weed and pest species besides making the soil fertile."
"The location influences the time it takes for a swidden to recover, ranging from five to more than twenty years."
"In Bangladesh and India, the terms jhum or jhoom are used to refer to the practice of slash-and-burn agriculture."
"A rough estimate suggests that 200 million to 500 million people worldwide practice slash-and-burn, indicating it is a commonly used method."