TY - BOOK T1 - Improved production systems as an alternative to shifting cultivation T2 - FAO Soils Bulletin no. 53 Y1 - 1984 A1 - Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Soil Resources, Management and Conservation Service KW - agricultural systems KW - agroecology KW - agroforestry KW - alley cropping KW - appropriate technology and intermediate technology KW - climate KW - farming systems KW - horticulture KW - livestock KW - rainfall KW - research KW - shifting cultivation KW - soil management KW - watersheds AB - Shifting cultivation, under its diverse forms of slash and burn systems, is a traditional method of cultivating tropical upland soils, mostly for subsistence purposes. During the rest or fallow periods intervening between crops, the natural fertility of the soil is restored for renewed utilization in a subsequent period of crop growth. This traditional system of cultivation is in ecological balance with the environment and does not irreversibly degrade the soil resource, provided a sufficient length of fallow is allowed for soil restoration. JF - FAO Soils Bulletin no. 53 PB - Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations CY - Rome SN - 92-5-102121-X UR - http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/11418879 ER -