It is commonly perceived that small-scale farmers must assume a very short term perspective in their farming practices due to poverty, family food need, and lack of access to investment capital. For migrant farmers on the agricultural frontier, a short time horizon is assumed. In Southeast Asia these pioneer farmers are typically found on the margins of protected forests, and in the grasslands dominated by Imperata cylindrica (alang-alang, cogon). The conventional paradigm is that they practice annual cropping for food security by converting protected forests to shifting agriculture, and consequently degrade the fragile uplands. Faced with this situation, policy makers are very concerned about the prospectd for successfully protecting or rehabilitating natural ecosystems, and maintaning the agricultural potential of the hill slope lands of the region.
Publication year
1994
Authors
Language
English
Keywords
agroforestry, marketing, products
Geographic
Philippines
