Start Date
7-2-2022 3:45 PM
End Date
7-2-2022 5:00 PM
Access Type
Open Access
Abstract
During my talk, I will give a broad introduction on shifting cultivation, associated sustainability challenges, and the case of north‐eastern Madagascar. Thereafter I will focus on land system transformations in shifting cultivation landscapes – both in Madagascar and elsewhere – showing that their drivers and consequences are highly diverse and context‐dependent. This is calling for a critical and contextualized appraisal of the continuation of, as well as the transition away from shifting cultivation when designing land system
Biography
My research focuses on sustainability transformations in land systems, aiming at informing policies that improve outcomes for people and nature. Specifically, I work towards understanding trade‐offs and co‐benefits between biodiversity, ecosystem services, climate, and agricultural productivity and how these are affected by land management practices, including forest restoration and agroforestry.
Over the last five years, I worked on a transdisciplinary project in north‐eastern Madagascar focusing on vanilla agroforestry and its role in transforming landscapes dominated by shifting hill rice cultivation. Shifting cultivation is characterised by slashing of vegetation and subsequent burning, followed by the cultivation of crops.
Thereafter land is left fallow for multiple years before the cycle commences again. Shifting cultivation remains an important land system in many tropical landscapes, but transitions away from shifting cultivation are increasingly common.
Additional Links
ORCID
Sustainable land system transformations in shifting cultivation landscapes
During my talk, I will give a broad introduction on shifting cultivation, associated sustainability challenges, and the case of north‐eastern Madagascar. Thereafter I will focus on land system transformations in shifting cultivation landscapes – both in Madagascar and elsewhere – showing that their drivers and consequences are highly diverse and context‐dependent. This is calling for a critical and contextualized appraisal of the continuation of, as well as the transition away from shifting cultivation when designing land system