The effectiveness of crop rotation on swidden land
(Baonghean) -Over the years, the State has had many policies and measures on sedentary farming and planning of swidden land areas for people to protect and improve their lives, but they have not yet brought about high efficiency.
Many areas of natural forests are still being cleared for slash-and-burn cultivation, but their lives have not improved. Furthermore, their farming practices on sloping land are often not fertilized, so the sloping land is increasingly degraded and the productivity of crops decreases.
To gradually reduce the area of swidden fields but still ensure the livelihood of the people, the best solution is to guide and build for the people how to live on forestry without destroying the forest. In 2007, the Center for Forestry and Agroforestry established a project to convert slash-and-burn cultivation to agroforestry (AFF) on slash-and-burn land in the period of 2008-2010 in the two districts of Tuong Duong and Ky Son, a model with a scale of 40 hectares for 25 participating households in block 5, Ky Son town and Khe Ngau - Xa Luong village (Tuong Duong).
People of Khe Ngau village (Xa Luong commune - Tuong Duong) plant and take care of hybrid acacia on swidden land. Photo: Xuan Hoang
The project's goal is to improve the people's knowledge, support and create conditions for people to know how to cultivate agriculture and forestry in a stable, sustainable and highly efficient manner per unit area. The swidden fields are planned to ensure food security, limit and eventually stop deforestation for farming, create jobs for workers, and improve the lives of people in mountainous areas.
After 3 years of implementation, 6 training sessions with 240 households participating, 4 seminars and 2 tours within the province have been organized. The model building work has deployed planting of Pic Nieng trees on 4 hectares, bamboo shoots on 5 hectares, hybrid acacia on 28 hectares, rattan on 3 hectares, hybrid corn on 400 kg, and fish fry on 350 kg. In addition, fertilizers are also provided annually for planting and caring for forestry and agricultural trees and mixed feed for fish. With the intensive farming method applying technical equipment from the stages of: seed selection, fertilization, and cultivation, initially there have been products that bring economic efficiency to local people. VN10 hybrid corn is intercropped intensively, fertilized according to the correct technical process, the annual yield reaches 6 tons/ha. Bamboo shoots have also begun to be harvested, long-term plants such as Pic Nieng, Xoan, and Acacia hybrid are in the stage of good growth and development, reaching a height of 4.5 m and a diameter of 8 - 10 cm. The most basic problem is to change the awareness of people cultivating on sloping land, from extensive cultivation to intensive cultivation, intercropping in the method of multiple plants and animals, increasing income to stabilize life. Up to now, the two districts of Ky Son and Tuong Duong have planned the rotational swidden areas, limiting the previous situation of only growing one type of tree.
The agro-forestry farming model on swidden land in mountainous areas has contributed to creating conditions for people to participate and see the effectiveness, helping them boldly switch to advanced and sustainable farming methods.
Nguyen Huu Duc
