Swidden cultivation – a centuries-old practice in which crops are rotated on land that is cleared, planted and then left fallow – has been blamed for destroying forests and releasing greenhouse gases. While research shows it can create ecosystems with high biodiversity, rich carbon stocks and low soil erosion, and adapt to changing market and socio-demographic demands, policies have aimed to restrict swidden, favoring conversion to large-scale plantations. At the same time, there is a growing interest in social forestry in Southeast Asia as countries embark on a more decentralized governance process, promoting forest tenure and local community interests in the region. Swidden can be seen as part of social forestry practice where local people manage diverse forests and fallows to generate multiple benefits, including maintaining a sense of identity and cultural traditions.
As part of the ASEAN-Swiss Partnership on Social Forestry and Climate Change (ASFCC), CIFOR conducted demand-driven research and training in Indonesia, Lao PDR, Vietnam, Malaysia (Sabah) and Myanmar to learn how swidden as a social forestry practice can improve livelihoods for forest-dependent communities and Indigenous Peoples, increase their resilience to climate impacts, and help Member States achieve their targets for climate change and development goals.
Through technical support and activities in ASEAN member states, CIFOR and partners helped bring about transformative political and institutional change in the region:
- Indonesia issued new regulations on social forestry and customary forest tenure.
- Myanmar and Thailand passed laws that provide more rights to local communities.
- Vietnam revised its national forestry law to include farming in forests and forest farming (agroforestry).
- Other countries, including Cambodia, are reviewing their own laws to ensure that communities are more engaged with land-use decisions.
- Sabah in Malaysia is developing a road map on social forestry.
ASFCC also analyzed opportunities for ASEAN member states to benefit from international programs, such as Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+), and introduced a ‘forest harvest’ certification that allows communities to engage new markets.
Lao PDR and Myanmar in particular learned from the benefit-sharing analysis of the REDD+ program.
Moira Moeliono
Senior Associate
Impact
Project info
Project
ASEAN-Swiss partnership on Social Forestry and Climate Change (ASFCC)
Country
Indonesia, Lao PDR, and Vietnam and Sabah (Malaysia)
Funding partners
Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC)
Project partners
ASEAN Working Group on Social Forestry, Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), ICRAF RECOFTC, Non-Timber Forests Products Exchange Program
CIFOR focal point
Moira Moeliono, Senior Associate