Abstract: Tropical forest and swidden agriculture are
declining, while commercial plantation is continuously expanding.
However, little is known about the mechanisms, processes and trends of
the tropical forest-swidden-plantation (FSP) nexus. Global ongoing
initiatives including the UN-REDD Programme, not only have repeatedly
emphasized the significance of conserving forests, reforestation and
afforestation, but re-pushed swidden agriculture to the forefront of a
long-standing international debate of climate changes and biodiversity.
Many facets limit our understanding of swidden agriculture. The lack of
geographic and demographic data and their dynamics across the tropics
undoubtedly further aggravate this situation since the first appeal of
eradication of shifting cultivation by the FAO. Although recent studies
have enriched significantly our knowledge of forest loss and plantation
expansion, previous research has proceeded separately and has yet to be
integrated under the umbrella of sustainable swidden agriculture.
Efforts are needed to investigate the dynamics of the FSP nexus for sake
of a synergetic goal of climate mitigation and poverty alleviation.Keywords: Swidden agriculture, tropical agriculture-forest
frontiers (TAFF), the forest-swidden-plantation (FSP) nexus, REDD,
evolution-transformation-expansion