Abstract
Swidden agriculture is central to the livelihoods and culture of the Dulong people in northwest Yunnan, China. In 2002, the Sloping Land Conversion Program (SLCP) was first being implemented in the Dulong Valley. Under this program, all swidden land and most permanent arable lands were converted to forest, in return for which villagers received grain subsidies. In view of the importance of traditional agriculture in Dulong livelihoods and culture, and the potential uniqueness of agrobiodiversity in the Dulong Valley, the Center for Biodiversity and Indigenous Knowledge (CBIK), a nongovernmental organization based in Yunnan, has been undertaking surveys and action research on the impacts of the SLCP since 2005. By drawing on previous studies, data provided by the local government, and a new survey of the current status of traditional crop cultivation conducted in 2 villages in 2009, this article describes some of the impacts of the SLCP on agrobiodiversity, livelihoods, and traditional culture in the Dulong Valley. Results of surveys found that, before 2002, at least 12 crop types were commonly planted in swiddens, including 7 underutilized species. By 2009, only a minority of households continued to cultivate these crops. Changes in land use and grain availability have also led to a significant reduction in the number of livestock raised, and, in some cases, animal genetic diversity is being threatened. Elder Dulong villagers are concerned that these changes will lead to the erosion of traditional culture. The article also describes activities that are now being conducted to conserve agrobiodiversity and support cultural transmission in Dulong Valley. Events such as seed fairs, arts competitions, and revival of swidden cultivation on a small scale have attracted the attention of villagers and local government, and conservation of agrobiodiversity through value addition is now on the agenda.
Highlights
Impacts of and Responses to the Sloping Land Conversion ProgramOpen access article: please credit the authors and the full source. Swidden agriculture is central to the livelihoods and culture of the Dulong people in northwest Yunnan, China
Swidden agriculture, widely practiced in the eastern Himalaya region, has long been seen as the antithesis of state forest management and conservation policies
In Dulong Valley, which is characterized by steep valley slopes (.25u) in almost all locations, rather than targeting specific land plots, the subsidies provided by the Sloping Land Conversion Program (SLCP) were divided among all farming households, and all land in the cultivated phase of swidden agriculture was required to be planted with trees (Alnus and Pinus)
Summary
Open access article: please credit the authors and the full source. Swidden agriculture is central to the livelihoods and culture of the Dulong people in northwest Yunnan, China. In 2002, the Sloping Land Conversion Program (SLCP) was first being implemented in the Dulong Valley Under this program, all swidden land and most permanent arable lands were converted to forest, in return for which villagers received grain subsidies. By drawing on previous studies, data provided by the local government, and a new survey of the current status of traditional crop cultivation conducted in 2 villages in 2009, this article describes some of the impacts of the SLCP on agrobiodiversity, livelihoods, and traditional culture in the Dulong Valley. Events such as seed fairs, arts competitions, and revival of swidden cultivation on a small scale have attracted the attention of villagers and local government, and conservation of agrobiodiversity through value addition is on the agenda
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