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Rotational swiddening practised by ethnic minorities in the north- central uplands of Vietnam is currently causing major transformations in forestland use and forestland cover. In order to avoid further forest fragmentation and degradation, the Vietnamese government has implemented certain programmes and polic ies to bring an end to this trend. | FOREST AND FALLOW PRODUCTS IN A ROTATIONAL SWIDDENING SYSTEM IN NORTH CENTRAL VIETNAM By Nguyen Vinh Quang HAU Jens Jakobsen IGUC 1 ABSTRACT Rotational swiddening practised by ethnic minorities in the north-central uplands of Vietnam is currently causing major transformations in forestland use and forestland cover. In order to avoid further forest fragmentation and degradation the Vietnamese government has implemented certain programmes and policies to bring an end to this trend. Consequently farmers have been allocated certain fixed areas set aside for swiddening - areas which often are too small to provide the necessary food supply. As a way to increase food production in the uplands farmers are encouraged by extension officers to invest in paddy rice cultivation. However natural conditions are not always suitable for this shift in practice hence farmers must rely on other natural resources in their livelihood strategy. Collection of forest and fallow products especially bamboo shoots and bromgrass provide households with cash income which increases their possibilities for maintaining food security. I. Introduction Agroforestry the practice of growing trees on farms for the benefit of the farm family and for the environment is now recognised as an applied science instrumental in assuring food security reducing poverty and enhancing ecosystem resilience on small farms in the tropics Sanchez 1999a . Swiddening practised by ethnic minorities in the uplands of north central Vietnam can be classified as an agroforestry system since farmers clear and burn the trees growing on fallow land to enrich the soil s nutrient content before cultivation. Sequential swiddening prevents any direct competition between trees and crops Huxley 1999 . It is somtimes forgotten that the natural vegetation sprouting up on fallow land before clearing and burning contains many products of economic importance to swidden farmers. The collection of products from fallow areas and forests .
