Swidden cultivation is a production process taking place in a tropical or sub-tropical climate. The cultivation is a form of subsistence that is adapted to limit space for cultivation. There are several drawbacks to this kind of agriculture, such as low production yields, low productivity, a conservative form of agriculture, and migration when soil is poor. Despite these drawbacks, swidden cultivation is an important system to the Pwo Karen lifestyle. They subsist on this with integrated agriculture. The practice is an adjustment process to limited areas, because, in the western region of Thailand where the tribe resides, there is tropical forest combined with rocky mountains, valleys and therefore limited cultivation space. These are the factors which make the tribe adjust and create a process by comparing labor numbers and cultivation areas with all-year-round vegetation. The practice is a kind of resource management with shifting cultivation. After the soil has become poor, the tribe will move to a new area and allow the cultivated areas to rehabilitate themselves into forests, creating a new environment to a level sufficient for their needs. As a consequence, swidden cultivation is not only a production process but their way of life. Every perspective of their life, be it economy or mentality, is reflected in their practice of swidden cultivation (pp.1, 15).
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