Abstract
The sustainability of shifting cultivation is presently a topic of debate in scientific and institutional communities; however, there is no current consensus. To address this debate, we performed a search of the pertinent literature that was published during the last 30 years on the impact of shifting agriculture on tropical soils. This search revealed that the nature of the impact depends on the shifting cultivation system (SCS) phase (conversion, cultivation, or fallow) and on the soil properties (physical, chemical, and biological). We also suggest soil quality indicators for evaluating this agricultural practice in tropical forests, which may be used as a basis for analyses on the tendencies of conservation and degradation of impacted soils. Future research should improve the choices of these indicators, relying mostly on practical criteria, so they can be used by shifting cultivators.
Highlights
Shifting cultivation systems (SCS) and their impacts on soil and vegetation have been widely studied by many research groups (Juo and Manu, 1996; Palm et al, 1996; Nandwa and Bekunda, 1998; Giardina et al, 2000; Lawrence and Foster, 2002; Bruun et al, 2009; Mertz et al, 2009)
The main objectives of this study were the following: 1) to perform a search of the literature on the impacts caused by shifting agriculture systems on the soils of tropical forests; and 2) based on the secondary data reviewed in the literature, to suggest qualitative indicators that are representative of these impacts, which will allow for an evaluation of the sustainability of the system in different contexts
For this study, an impact was defined as any alteration of the physical, chemical, or biological properties of the soil that was caused by any form of matter or energy that resulted from activities related to the components of shifting cultivation
Summary
Shifting cultivation systems (SCS) and their impacts on soil and vegetation have been widely studied by many research groups (Juo and Manu, 1996; Palm et al, 1996; Nandwa and Bekunda, 1998; Giardina et al, 2000; Lawrence and Foster, 2002; Bruun et al, 2009; Mertz et al, 2009). This review article aims to identify and classify the impacts of SCS on the properties of tropical forest soils. Based on our results, we suggest soil quality indicators that may lead to new, more specific quantitative indicators for SCS and may contribute to the sustainable management of these systems. We present and discuss the results of the identification and classification of the types of SCS impacts on the physical, chemical, and biological properties of the soil. We suggest qualitative indicators (physical, chemical, and biological) for the evaluation of the impact of SCS on the soil and of trends in soil degradation and conservation. In the last section, we discuss our results and make some conclusions based on the sustainability of SCS
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