The Last Swiddens of Sarawak, Malaysia
Swidden cultivation was observed to be under pressure but still persisting in many areas in Sarawak, Malaysia around 2000–2003. Since then rapid development of smallholder oil palm and rubber, continuing urbanization and rural to urban migration appear to have considerably reduced the area unde...
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| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | E-Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Springer US
2013
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/13424/1/The%20Last%20Swiddens%20of%20Sarawak%2C%20Malaysia%20%28abstract%29.pdf http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/13424/ http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10745-012-9559-3 |
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| Summary: | Swidden cultivation was observed to be under
pressure but still persisting in many areas in Sarawak,
Malaysia around 2000–2003. Since then rapid development
of smallholder oil palm and rubber, continuing urbanization
and rural to urban migration appear to have considerably
reduced the area under swidden cultivation. With the aim of
understanding the extent and impacts of this development,
55 households in three communities that were interviewed
in 2002–2003 were re-interviewed in 2011. In an area with
rapid oil palm development, the households engaged in
smallholder oil palm production have experienced considerable
improvements in income and wealth whereas the
other households have experienced more limited wealth
increases or even a decline in income. Many households
have decreased or abandoned cultivation of upland rice,
which used to be the core of the swidden cultivation system,
and the upland soils in the area are now dominated by oil
palm. In another area, where no oil palm development has
taken place because of a hydroelectric dam, upland rice
fields under swidden cultivation have also decreased and
new high yielding rubber is now being planted because of
the favorable rubber prices. Moreover, tourism has in this
area gained further economic importance and overtaken
agriculture as the main economic activity of households.
The demise of swidden has not yet occurred in Sarawak,
but a continued decline has been observed. However, there
is a possibility that the new smallholder oil palm and rubber
may provide an opportunity for a new type of ‘productive
fallow’ that will allow continued cultivation of upland rice
on a small scale. |
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