This paper reviews the theoretical and empirical literature on labor productivity in shifting cultivation systems, and relationships between labor productivity and production parameters are analyzed in two case studies of Iban communities in Sarawak, Malaysia, during two farming seasons. In addition, the labor productivity in shifting cultivation compared to off-farm wage labor opportunities is explored. Establishing firm relationships between labor productivity and production parameters, such as fallow length, fertilizer use, and herbicide use was not possible. We are thus unable to verify or reject the thesis that more labor is required for managing fields after short fallow compared to long fallow periods. We do demonstrate that shifting cultivation of hill rice can compete economically with common off-farm employment opportunities, and conclude that farmers’ decisions to maintain their practices is based as much on economic rationales as on tradition.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We are grateful for receiving funding from Danida, Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs through the Danish University Consortium on Sustainable Land Use and Natural Resource Management (DUCED-SLUSE) and from the Foundation of His Royal Highness Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark. We would also like to thank the Sarawak Government for support of the project, notably the State Planning Unit (SPU) and our local counterparts, the Forest Department and the Department of Agriculture. Thanks also to our field assistant Olivia ak Jikus and to Tina Svan Hansen for assisting with data. Finally we would like to extend our gratitude to the people of Rh Muyang and Rh Ulat for invaluable support and great hospitality during field work.
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Nielsen, U., Mertz, O. & Noweg, G.T. The Rationality of Shifting Cultivation Systems: Labor Productivity Revisited. Hum Ecol 34, 201–218 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10745-006-9014-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10745-006-9014-4