Green Manure, Cover-crop and Managed Fallow Consortium

Regional Workshop for Asia

Indigenous Strategies for Intensification of Shifting Cultivation in Southeast Asia

************************ A workshop entitled "Indigenous Strategies for Intensification of Shifting Cultivation in S.E. Asia" will be held in Bogor, Indonesia, on June 23-27, 1997.

Objectives
Call for papers
Participation information
Participation form

Context of the Workshop Theme

Technical approaches to stabilizing and improving productivity of shifting cultivation systems in the sloping uplands of Southeast Asia have not been successful in identifying alternate technologies widely adoptable by farmers. Farmer rejection of researcher-driven solutions has led to greater recognition of farmer constraints such as labor availability, access to planting materials, and uncontrolled fires or communal grazing. This experience clearly underlined the need for participatory, on-farm research approaches to identify solutions sharply focussed to farmer circumstances.

There are many examples where swidden cultivators have successfully managed local resources to solve local problems. Farmer responses to intensification pressures may generally be classified as innovations to achieve:

more "effective" fallows - where the biological efficiency of fallow functions is improved, and the same or greater benefits can be achieved in a shorter time frame
more "productive" fallows - in which fallow lengths stay the same or actually lengthen as the farmer adds value to the fallow by introducing perennial economic species; and
combinations of the two trends, where a degree of both biophysical and economic benefits may be accrued.

The implications to land use of two major pathways towards swidden intensification are obviously profound. More effective or accelerated fallows often provide an intermediate step in a transition to permanent cultivation of annual crops. Alternatively, in more productive fallows, the phase of reopening and cultivation of annuals may eventually be foregone altogether as the farmer chooses to protect perennial vegetation, allowing it to develop into semi - or permanent agroforests. Yet another farmer strategy is livestock-based; confined livestock are slowly migrated across agricultural fields so that soil properties are improved by manure inputs.

One of the most promising approaches to identifying biophysically workable and socially acceptable technologies is to documents and understand case studies of indigenous adaptations towards intensification of shifting cultivation. Unfortunately there is little documentation of such innovations to feed into the national and international research agenda or to inform policy makers. They are either unobserved or misinterpreted.

ICRAF and Cornell University are collaborating with local partner institutions in developing a regional research initiative on "Indigenous Strategies for Intensification of Shifting Cultivation in S.E. Asia". The approach will showcase indigenous knowledge and practices as the point of departure in the search for pragmatic and adoptable solutions to intensify and reinforce the sustainability of highly stessed swidden systems. The work will be guided by a hypothesis that often isolated pockets of swidden cultivators have successfully responded to intensification pressures by quietly evolving improved variations of land husbandry. These practices are of immense scientific and development interest for their potential for further refinement and dissemination to a range of contexts in communities facing similar swidden degradation problems. This is not suggested as a panacea - but is a promising approach that builds on indigenous practices and needs to be added to our repertoire of technical responses to declining swidden systems.

To launch the overall research effort, a workshop will be held in Bogor, Indonesia on February 24-28, 1997. Although presented case studies will examine the entire spectrum of indigenous strategies for intensification of shifting cultivation, there will be a strong emphasis on innovations in fallow management.

Objectives

The general objectives of the workshop are to:

review a series of case studies where farmers have successfully developed strategies for intensification of shifting cultivation, and synthesize current knowledge on these indigenous systems
evaluate if farmer innovations are situation-specific - or are more replicable in other stressed swidden agroecosystems in the S.E. Asian uplands
elucidate emerging research questions, and formulate a longer term research agenda
compare and evaluate reseach methods and develop a common research approach for a set of parallel studies of fallow management in the region
highlight the importance of farmer-generated innovations, and stimulate donor interest in funding further research, and
establish the collaborative structure that will enable a regional research thrust.

develop a more complete perspective on the possible development pathways for intensifying swidden systems
understand the science underlying farmer practices in improved fallow husbandry - and suggest opportunities for further technological refinements
discuss the implications of intensified swidden management to both biological and cultural diversity
to understand the conditions that contribute to the evolution of managed fallow systems, and the process of how farmers adop innovations, and
to explore policy leverages that could encourage wider adoptation of effective innovations.

Participants

Delegates will include representatives from a wide range of professions and groups with active interests in stabilizing declining shifting cultivation systems and participating in a longer-term regional research network:

Non-governmental Organizations
Conservation groups
Uplands research / development projects
Forest managers
Indigenous technical knowledge centres
Academics
NARS
CGIAR Centres
Government policy makers
Donors

Workshop Organizing Committee

A.M. Fagi, Central Research Institute for Food Crops (CRIFC)
Soetjipto Partohardjono, Central Research Institute for Food Crops (CRIFC)
A.N. Gintings, Forest Nature Conservation Research and Development Centre (FNCRDC)
Sri Suharti, Forest Nature Conservation Research and Development Centre (FNCRDC))
Tony Djogo, Nusa Tenggara Upland Development Consortium NTUDC
Chun K. Lai, Asia Pacific Agroforestry Network
Erick Fernandes, Cornell Institute for International Food and Agriculture Development (CIIFAD)
Larry Fisher, Cornell University
Dennis Garrity, International Centre for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF)
Malcolm Cairns, ICRAF (Workshop coordinator), International Centre for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF)

The organizing committee reserves the right to limit participation to a manageable level.

Call for Papers

This announcement serves as an open call for papers conforming to the workshop theme. Papers dealing with systems of improved fallow management are particularly welcome. Papers should be written in English. A proceedings volume will be published that includes presented papers and a summary of recommendations from the thematic working groups.

Potential Authors of Workshops Papers Should:

indicate interest in contributing a paper by completing the attached form and returning it to the workshop secretariat; then
wait to receive recommended guidelines for authors from the secretariat
submit and extended abstract to the selection committee, indicating its relevance to the workshop theme
pending acceptance of the abstract for presentation at the workshop, submit a full paper for peer review; and
make recommended revisions and present the final paper at the workshop.

Important Dates to Note: June, 1996: Workshop announcement and call for papers
July, 1996: Papers guidelines forwarded to potential authors that return the notice of interest to participate
November 15, 1996: Extended abstracts due
December 1, 1996: Notification of accepted abstracts and request for full papers
Late January, 1997: Papers returned to authors for final revisions
June 23-27, 1997: Workshop

Participation Information

Those who indicate an interest in participation by returning the attached form to the workshop secretariat will have their names added to a mailing list for subsequent announcements. They will thus be kept informed of further details of the workshop schedule and logistics as they are finalized by the organizing committee.

Support for Participation A limited number of travel grants will be available. The organizing committee will make final decisions on financial assistance in October, 1996. Preference will be given to authors of workshop papers. Participants are encouraged to also seek funding from other sources. The secretariat will be happy to provide official letters of supports, on request, to the organizations from whom the participants may hope to get financial assistance.

How to Apply

In order to participate in the "Regional Workshop on Indigenous Strategies for Intensification of Shifting Cultivation in Southeast Asia", please complete and return the following form to the Workshop Secretariat at the earliest possible date. The Secretariat address is as follows:

Tel: (62-251) 315-234
Fax: (62-251) 315-567
E-mail: icraf-indonesia@cgnet.com
icrafind@server.indo.net.id

Participation Form

********************************************* Name:

Male/Female:

Position:

Organization:

Mailing Address:

City:

Postal Code:

Country:

Telephone:

Fax:

E-mail:

(....) Yes, I would like to contribute a paper entitled:

Please check one:

(....) I will be seeking financial support for my participation in this workshop. Please forward an official letter of invitation and details of costs.

(....) I would like to be considered for financial assistance from the workshop to attend.

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Last edited: November 19, 1996
Authors:
Christine Stockwell
Lucy Fisher
URL http://ppathw3.cals.cornell.edu/mba_project/gmcc/Asia.html