Browsing by Author "Enabor, Ephraim E"

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    Social-economic aspects of taungya in relation to traditional shifting cultivation in tropical developing countries
    (Fosbrooke, 1973) Enabor, Ephraim E
    Agriculture and forestry account for the dominant share of land use in most tropical developing countries. Lands under forestry use are usually constituted by law into forest reserves and protected against all unauthorized encroachments. The agricultural land3 are largely worked by peasant farmers whose method of cultivation is known as shifting cultivation. Shifting cultivation is an undeveloped system of agriculture which is highly wasteful of land and ultimately lead3 to decreasing farm yields as increase in population necessitates fragmentation of holdings and reduction of the period of fallow. The direct consequence of perpetuating traditional shifting cultivation is a critical food balance situation, the emergence of impoverished rural communities and increased political and social tensions as individuals or communities search for additional arable lands needed to augment food supplies. The taungya system by which forest trees and agricultural crops are raised together on lands previously reserved exclusively for the former use has provided a timely alternative to land-hungry fanners in many tropical developing countries. The system is gaining increasing attenĀ¬tion as a means of cheap large scale afforestation, development and stabilization of rural areas as well as control of tradiĀ¬tional shifting cultivation. However, the benefits of the taungya system may be lost through premature discontinuance unless adequate attention is paid to the economic and social aspects. It is important that farmers receive reasonable financial rewards and enjoy improved living conditions by way of provision of suitable housing, medical and educational facilities for their families as well as electricity and water supplies. Better financial rewards can be ensured by permitting fanners to raise appropriate cash crops. Necessary social amenities should be jointly financed by government and taungya farmers. The establishment of taungya schemes should be organized through forest villages and based on sound long term planning. The success of such schemes will depend greatly on cooperation between agriculturists, and foresters on one hand in rural areas. King (1963) has stressed the importance of land capability classification and land use planning as basic pre-requisites for efficient land utilization in any economy. Systematic survey and classification of land resources constitutes the only rational basis for the efficient allocation of lands between different uses in the light of a nation's wants.