Shifting Cultivation in Myanmar: Case Studies from Southern Chin State and Bago Division

Shifting cultivation is an important livelihood strategy of millions of people in Myanmar. Various ethnic groups throughout the country practice unique styles of this system, which are adapted to their specific local ecological and social conditions. In Myanmar, an estimated 2 million families depend on shifting cultivation for their livelihoods. Despite its continuing importance to many people’s livelihoods in Myanmar, shifting cultivation has not been officially recognized and supported in Myanmar to date. This study was carried out in order to promote a better understanding of this type of agro-forestry system and to feed into the current policy and legislative discussion about land governance—which is central to Myanmar’s current reforms. The research objectives include the following: a. To understand how shifting cultivation is carried out, and the value it contributes to local livelihoods, b. To give a basic understanding about shifting cultivation as there are still popular prejudices against shifting cultivation, in particular the perception that it leads to deforestation, c. To derive recommendations from the findings in order to contribute to policy discussions about ethnic customary land use systems