Census Population Shifting cultivation Southeast asia Agricultural worker Census Demography Rural development Poverty determinant Population estimation
Issue Date:
2009
Publisher:
Human Ecology
Citation:
Volume: 37, Issue: 3, Page : 281-289
Abstract:
Swidden cultivators are often found as a distinct category of farmers in the literature, but rarely
appear in population censuses or other national and regional classifications. This has led to a worldwide
confusion on how many people are dependent on this form of agriculture. The most often cited number of
200-300 million dates back to the early 1970s, but the source is obscure. We assess available, published data
from nine countries in Southeast Asia and conclude that on this basis it is not possible to provide a firm
estimate of the number of swidden cultivators in the region. A conservative range of 14-34 million people
engaged in swidden cultivation in the region is suggested, however. We argue that along with improved
knowledge of swidden livelihoods, there is an urgent need to develop techniques that will allow for better
estimates of swidden populations in order to secure appropriate rural development and poverty reduction in
swidden areas. ?? Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2009.
