2020 Volume 64 Issue 2 Pages 80-89
Despite the swidden agriculture still remains as a safety net for some ethnic minorities, the transformation into other agricultural practices have occurred, especially in Mainland Southeast Asia. Likewise, the agricultural activities of swidden agriculture in the Bago Mountains have gradually been in transition from the traditional swidden practices to permanent agriculture. In this study, recent trends of swidden agriculture and the introduced permanent agriculture were assessed by using not only satellite image assessment but also interviews and socioeconomic survey. The findings showed that the extent of swidden area gradually decreased after the introduction of the permanent agriculture in SN and KC village. Demise of swidden was found in GS village because of the advantage of low land availability. Land use conflicts, lowlander migration, labor and agricultural input availability were the major underlaying causes for agrarian transition. Although the newly introduced permanent agriculture may have significantly contributed to local livelihoods, more research must be conducted in order to find out the suitable agricultural land use for the future sustainability of siwddeners’ livelihood.
