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Kabila

Swidden

A field cleared from forest by cutting and burning for temporary farming. Also a name for shifting cultivation.

Also called: swidden farming, swidden agriculture

Swidden is an old English word for a burnt clearing. Researchers use it as a neutral term for the plot and for the whole farming system. Ash from burning feeds the soil for a short time, after which the plot is left to recover.

Related words

Shifting cultivationHorticultureSubsistence

Lessons that use this word

Seven peoples, once a week

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