What is shifting cultivation? swidden, Shwe Pyaung Taungya, rotational agroforestry, long fallow forest cultivation, low input sustainable agro- forestry... * Oldest farming system in the world * cultivating a series of plots sequentially; after cultivating a field it is left to fallow for several years, typically long enough for pioneer tree growth. * In South East Asia predominantly practiced by politically marginalised upland ethnic minority peoples * Agricultural system combines private and common tenure systems * High diversity in cropping Often misunderstood * Criticised since colonial times ? largely misunderstood by scientific foresters wanting to exploit timber resources * Scientific consensus since 1950?s that S.C can be a perpetually sustainable cultivation system