Swidden Cultivation and the Agrarian Transition on the Forest Frontiers of Southeast Asia (2010-2016)
Abstract
Traditional family farmers on the frontiers of Southeast Asia are engaging with an agrarian transition that is transforming the region, with significant but largely unexplored impacts on their livelihoods, social relations and environments. In particular, swidden (slash & burn) agriculturalists who accommodate new commodity markets and agrarian policies experience wealth and prosperity alongside socio-economic marginalisation. This research will examine the transformation of swidden farming on the frontiers of Laos, the Philippines and Malaysia. It offers an interdisciplinary, comparative understanding of how broader political economic processes drive agrarian change to affect the land uses and livelihoods of millions of swidden farmers.
