Impact of Shifting Cultivation on Forestry

Shifting cultivation is one of the oldest forms of agriculture commonly practised throughout the world in the tropical and sub-tropical countries. In shifting cultivation, a patch of land is cultivated for a short period, then left to fallow for several years while the shifting cultivator moves on to work on another piece of land.

Shifting cultivation has long been a way of life for Sarawak's indigenous communities who practise it as a form of subsistence agriculture. In the tropics, where rain and sunshine are abundant throughout the year, secondary forest develops whenever cultivated land has been forsaken for a long period. Notwithstanding, this practice causes a severe loss of biological diversity.

To reduce the spread of shifting cultivation in the Permanent Forest Estate, the Sarawak Forest Department has introduced agro-forestry and reforestation programmes. Fast-growing trees are planted in the Permanent Forest Estate affected by shifting cultivation. Shifting cultivators are engaged to do the planting as this gives them a means of livelihood and helps them to understand the role of forestry in rural community development. They are also encouraged to plant agricultural crops, between rows of planted trees, for their own needs.

Over the last two decades, job opportunities created for the rural population by the development of the forest sector, particularly the logging industry and agricultural plantations, have also helped to slow down the spread of shifting cultivation.