Shifting cultivation to sustainability – seeing beyond the smoke

Abstract

Shifting cultivation (SC) is a system of agriculture widespread in the tropical and subtropical re-gions of the world. In India, it is rampant in the East and North East states. SC has been overwhelm-ingly portrayed as a threat to ecosystems and climate, ignoring the ecological value of the fallow phase and secondary forests. Finding ways to manage the practice of SC without affecting agricul-tural productivity is essential for climate change mitigation, biodiversity conservation and the wel-fare of indigenous communities. This study analyses recent research on the impacts of SC with regard to ecosystem effects at different stages of the process.