Slash and burn agriculture and its associated pattern of shifting cultivation have been practised for centuries in all three of the world's great tropical regions.
Today, the practice is failing widely and leading to the seemingly remorseless destruction of both primary and secondary rainforest; and while it has been reported widely that slash-and-burn practices in the past could guarantee the farmer a food crop, it is also widely acknowledged that the practice maintains them in poverty.
Over the last 20 years Mike Hand's has been working on ways to reduce the destruction of the rainforest by setting up demo farms in the tropics, so that farmers can see the benefits of his sustainable methods and the use of the Inga plant. His foundation the INGA Foundation are working to make slash and burn agriculture a thing of the past.
"Up in smoke" is on 4OD at the moment. Check it out, very inspiring. It led me to a concept for a chalk mound wildlife habitat I am doing a planting plan for at the moment.
Up in Smoke 2' trailer from Adam Wakeling on Vimeo.
