On the wire
Latin AmericaFuture of Amazon rainforest policies at stake in Brazilian presidential electionUnited StatesNative American drive mining company off sacred landCanada$2.2M Boost For Quantum Test Targeting Iron Issues In First Nations GroupsWorldCelebrate Indigenous Peoples' Day with City Hall Flag Raising and Native-Led Events Across SeattleOceaniaMāori Band Coterie Revives Iconic Warriors Anthem — LBBLatin AmericaWake Forest-CINCIA Researchers Brief Pope on Amazon Mercury Pollution | NewswiseWorldIndigenous Peoples Day: Reflections on 500 Years of ResistanceWorldIndigenous Peoples Day 2026WorldPRCS Announces Facility Schedule Changes for Indigenous Peoples’ DayWorldIndigenous Peoples History and Storytelling is topic on October 6Latin AmericaFuture of Amazon rainforest policies at stake in Brazilian presidential electionUnited StatesNative American drive mining company off sacred landCanada$2.2M Boost For Quantum Test Targeting Iron Issues In First Nations GroupsWorldCelebrate Indigenous Peoples' Day with City Hall Flag Raising and Native-Led Events Across SeattleOceaniaMāori Band Coterie Revives Iconic Warriors Anthem — LBBLatin AmericaWake Forest-CINCIA Researchers Brief Pope on Amazon Mercury Pollution | NewswiseWorldIndigenous Peoples Day: Reflections on 500 Years of ResistanceWorldIndigenous Peoples Day 2026WorldPRCS Announces Facility Schedule Changes for Indigenous Peoples’ DayWorldIndigenous Peoples History and Storytelling is topic on October 6
Kabila

Shifting cultivation: the swidden cycle

Swidden farming clears a small forest plot, crops it for a short time, then lets the forest grow back before returning.

before the rainsafter 1 to 3 yearsyears laterChoose a plotCut the growthDry and burnSow mixed cropsHarvest in turnLeave fallowForest regrows

  1. Choose a plot. In north-east India this farming is called jhum. Land usually belongs to the village or clan. Elders decide which hillside is ready and each household is given a share.
  2. Cut the growth. In the dry months families cut the bush and smaller trees. The work is often done by groups who help each household in turn.
  3. Dry and burn. The dried cuttings are burnt just before the rains. Fire releases the nutrients held in the plants as ash. Firebreaks are cut to stop the burn spreading.
  4. Sow mixed crops. Seeds of many crops are sown together in the ash with a digging stick or hoe. A single jhum field may hold a dozen or more crops.
  5. Harvest in turn. Harvest is spread out. Maize and vegetables come first, rice or millet later, tubers last. Mixing crops spreads the risk if one fails.
  6. Leave fallow. Hill soil tires quickly, so after a short time the family moves to a new plot. The old one is not abandoned. It is resting.
  7. Forest regrows. Forest returns and restores the soil. The system works when the rest is long. When land is short and the fallow shrinks to a few years, yields fall.

Read the lesson

  1. Shifting cultivators and farmersIndigenous farmers developed many of the crops and methods that feed the world. You will learn how shifting cultivation works, why it is often misjudged, and what other farming systems peoples have built.

Seven peoples, once a week

Every Monday: seven peoples you may never have heard of, who they are and where they live.