Fallow agroecosystem dynamics and socioeconomic development in China: Two case studies in Xishuangbanna Prefecture, Yunnan Province

摘要

Using twenty years of statistical data and household survey data from 1998 to 2001, this paper examines the link between socioeconomic factors and conservation of agrobiodiversity in fallow agroecosystems in two small rural villages, Daka and Baka, in Xishuangbanna, southwest China. These communities have long practiced traditional fallow field, or swidden agriculture, which has maintained a high degree of agrobiodiversity. However, it was found that the area of fallow fields is dropping annually by 0.008 ha per capita in Daka and 0.001 ha in Baka. This loss seems to be driven by...