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Swidden Agriculture in Developing Countries

Author

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  • Amitrajeet A. Batabyal
  • Hamid Beladi

Abstract

Small farmers in many tropical developing countries practice swidden agriculture. A key aspect of swidden agriculture is the time period during which the land is left fallow. This paper uses a new ecological–economic approach to study the fallow period and to determine the optimal length of this period in swidden agriculture. The authors first construct a theoretical model of a parcel of forest land that has been cleared for swidden agriculture. It is then shown how the dynamic and the stochastic properties of this cleared land can be used to derive two objective functions for a small farmer that are ecologically meaningful. Finally, using these two objectives, a probabilistic approach to the determination of the optimal length of the fallow period is discussed. In this approach, the focus of the small farmer is on maintaining the ecological and the economic sustainability of swidden agriculture on the cleared parcel of forest land (CPFL).

Suggested Citation

  • Amitrajeet A. Batabyal & Hamid Beladi, 2004. "Swidden Agriculture in Developing Countries," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 8(2), pages 255-265, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:rdevec:v:8:y:2004:i:2:p:255-265
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9361.2004.00231.x
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Marcel Fafchamps, 1992. "Cash Crop Production, Food Price Volatility, and Rural Market Integration in the Third World," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 74(1), pages 90-99.
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    Cited by:

    1. Amitrajeet A. Batabyal & Gregory J. DeAngelo, 2008. "A Dynamic And Stochastic Analysis Of Fertilizer Use In Swidden Agriculture," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: Dynamic And Stochastic Approaches To The Environment And Economic Development, chapter 4, pages 67-78, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    2. Amitrajeet A. Batabyal & Dug Man Lee, 2008. "Aspects Of Land Use In Slash And Burn Agriculture," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: Dynamic And Stochastic Approaches To The Environment And Economic Development, chapter 3, pages 57-66, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    3. repec:ebl:ecbull:v:17:y:2004:i:3:p:1-10 is not listed on IDEAS
    4. Justin R. Bucciferro, 2016. "Neither counterfeit nor paradise: The carrying capacity of pre-Columbian ecosystems in Brazil," Economic Anthropology, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 3(1), pages 17-30, January.
    5. Yoshito Takasaki & Bradford L. Barham & Oliver T. Coomes, 2010. "Smoothing Income against Crop Flood Losses in Amazonia: Rain Forest or Rivers as a Safety Net?," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 14(1), pages 48-63, February.
    6. Yoshito Takasaki & Oliver T. Coomes & Christian Abizaid & Stéphanie Brisson, 2014. "An Efficient Nonmarket Institution under Imperfect Markets: Labor Sharing for Tropical Forest Clearing," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 96(3), pages 711-732.
    7. Yoshito Takasaki, 2011. "Economic models of shifting cultivation: a review," Tsukuba Economics Working Papers 2011-006, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Tsukuba.
    8. Batabyal, Amitrajeet A. & DeAngelo, Gregory J., 2012. "Goods allocation by queuing and the occurrence of violence: A probabilistic analysis," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 24(C), pages 1-7.
    9. Unai Pascual & Edward B. Barbier, 2007. "On Price Liberalization, Poverty, and Shifting Cultivation: An Example from Mexico," Land Economics, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 83(2), pages 192-216.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • C73 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Game Theory and Bargaining Theory - - - Stochastic and Dynamic Games; Evolutionary Games
    • O13 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Agriculture; Natural Resources; Environment; Other Primary Products
    • O44 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - Environment and Growth
    • Q15 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Land Ownership and Tenure; Land Reform; Land Use; Irrigation; Agriculture and Environment
    • Q56 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Environment and Development; Environment and Trade; Sustainability; Environmental Accounts and Accounting; Environmental Equity; Population Growth
    • R11 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Regional Economic Activity: Growth, Development, Environmental Issues, and Changes

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