Sweep and char and the creation of Amazonian Dark Earths in homegardens

Abstract

As described elsewhere in this volume and in previous publications (Woods and McCann 1999; Lehmann et al. 2003; Glaser and Woods 2004), Amazonian Dark Earths (ADEs) are a continuum of organically rich soils found in patches throughout the Amazon basin. The growing literature on these soils is convincingly demonstrating the importance of ADEs to smallholders of today as well as helping to reconceptualize the prehistory of the region. We know what the soils are, what they look like today from a pedologic, chemical, and microbial perspective, and we know how productive they can be. What is still poorly understood is how they were created in the first place. Research on this is beginning, particularly by considering modern analogs such as 'sweep and char' behaviors in caboclo (Amazonian mestizo) homegardens. What this chapter sets out to do is to discuss sweeping and charring in present-day homegardens and to explore descriptions of such behaviors in domestic spaces in the literature (past and present) in order to contextualize the behavior as observed today. © Springer Science + Business Media B.V. 2009.