A fresh look at shifting cultivation: Fallow length an uncertain indicator of productivity

Shifting cultivation is practiced by millions of farmers in the tropics and has been accused of causing deforestation and keeping farmers in poverty. The assumed positive relationship between fallow length and crop yields has long shaped such negative opinions on the sustainability and environmental impact of the system, as population growth is believed inevitably to lead to its collapse. Empirical evidence for this assumption is scarce, however, and a better understanding of system dynamics is needed before discarding shifting cultivation as unsustainable. With cases from Malaysia and Indonesia, we show that fallow length is a weak predictor of crop yields, though interactions with fertilizer inputs may increase its importance. Other factors such as drought, flooding, and pests are more important determinants of yields. The implication is that when using natural fallow as the only means of nutrient supply, there is no need to cut old fallow vegetation. Moreover, there is no evidence of system collapse, even at short fallow periods. We conclude that shifting cultivation should be accepted as a rational land use system and that earlier calls for bringing a ‘‘Green Revolution’’ to shifting cultivators are still relevant to achieve intensive and sustainable production

Documenting ethnobotanical knowledge of rural community for sustainable benefits / Jovita Elderson Ripen... [et al.]

A study was conducted to identify and document all plants with economic and cultural significance to the nine Singai Bidayuh communities (villages) around the foothills of Mount Singai. Key informant surveys were carried out in each of the villages prior to field documentation and collection of specimens for identification. The information on use and methods of preparations and applications were obtained from active practitioners or traditional “medicine men” and “medicine women” through interviews and application observations for medicinal plants. For each of the plant species identified, specific use, parts of the plant used, method of preparation and applications, and general precautionary notes were included. A total of 52 species of useful plants were documented for medicine and the remaining were for food, preservatives, and spiritual healing. A use and valuation survey on these plant species also revealed that the total value of traditional medicinal plant use for the Singai Bidayuh community based on the current rate of household participation of 10% is at RM15, 443.90 per year. The results have provided a baseline on the economic value of the forest resources and contributed towards a better management of the area as a community heritage

Generating Landslide Susceptibility Map using Airborne Lidar Derived Parameters and Geological Mapping Factors for Canada Hill, Miri, Sarawak.

Landslide Susceptibility Mapping using GIS software and remote sensing data have been conducted in several location involving geological and geomorphological sensitive at Canada Hill, Miri. The previous researcher has conducted quantitative analyses using different statistical methods with different parameters in the same study area. The mapping of landslides using high-resolution Airborne LiDAR data is a valuable effort. All of this play important role, in the analysis and development of landslide susceptibility map. High-resolution Airborne LiDAR data has the ability to penetrate thick forest cover and produce Digital Terrain Model. Using Digital Terrain Model, the landslide parameter can be generated and extracted. The main objective of this study was to produce landslide susceptibility map using the Probability Frequency Ratio Model method. This study involved the delineating of causative factors from Digital Terrain Model generated by Airborne LiDAR data as well as the data collected from the field. Apart from parameters derived from LiDAR, parameters from filed and site investigation were included into the mapping process. This study was different from the previous studies in the same area in terms of various analytical approaches and samples used. The results of the landslide susceptibility map were verified via randomly selected landslides samples using two different methods. The landslide susceptibility map produced is more refined and is able to predict more effectively compared to the existing map. The landslide susceptibility map produced in this study could be used for land use planning and management by decision makers and land use planners

Economic Valuation of Medicinal Plants in Jagoi Area, Bau, Malaysia

The use of indigenous plants based on traditional knowledge is widely known among the Bidayuh community in Sarawak. Following a study carried out among the Bidayuh community of Jagoi area, a total of 117 species of plants with economic and cultural significance, particularly plants with medicinal uses, were documented and collected. Of these, 60 species were recorded for medicinal purposes while 57 species of plants were for other uses. The plant family with the most species used were Euphorbiaceae and Moraceae (8 species each), Fabaceae (7 species), Arecaceae, Asteraceae and Dipterocarpaceae (5 species each), followed by Piperaceae, Poaceae and Zingiberaceae (4 species each). Information was obtained by interviews with medicine men and women, recognized as having knowledge of their culture. Information collected included the species of plants used, their specific use, and the method of preparation or applications. In this study, the use of medicinal herbs collected from the forest resources by local communities is an example of non-marketed and marketed direct use. During this study, market visits were made in all local markets in Bau District during weekends. Interviews were conducted with people selling plants and herbal products. The price of the plants and herbal products were noted. For non-marketable resources, the costs of the plants were estimated based on the availability cost and time to get the plants. How easy or difficult it was to obtain the plants and the number of hours spent to get them was also considered. A use and valuation survey on these plant species also revealed that the average value per household was estimated at RM 2,961 per year. With the assumption that 10% of the total population living around Gunung Jagoi depends on the forest area, the total estimated value of plants for the Bidayuh Jagoi community was RM 2,087,505 per year. The results of this study have provided a baseline on the economic value of the resources from the forest and will contribute towards a better management of the area as a community heritage site. The involvement, knowledge and reliability of the information obtained from the active Traditional Medicine Practices (TMPs) helped greatly in producing good estimated potential values of the useful plants as well as the net revenue of the TMPs in the area selected for the study

The Rationality of Shifting Cultivation Systems: Labor Productivity Revisited

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

Land use and farming systems at the periphery of the Crocker Range National Park Sabah, Malaysia

Shifting cultivation which usually employs slash-and-burn farming practice and commonly interwoven with cultural attributes of the Murut and Dusun communities, is now a dying culture. This paper argues that the transformation of this age-old farming system is attributed to both external and internal factors

Assessment of Fish and Macroinvertebrates in Streams Associated with Mineral Soil and Peatland in Kuching and Samarahan Divisions, Sarawak

Understanding of carrying capacity of different habitats in supporting species richness of aquatic organisms is crucial for the success of biodiversity conservation programme. Study on habitat carrying capacity and species-habitat specialization is particularly important in Sarawak because many aquatic habitats (streams, rivers, lakes and swamps) had been degraded by land use activities. Habitat fragmentation is a common phenomenon, but assessment of carrying capacity of the habitat complex in supporting aquatic species richness has not been well studied. The questions rise would be (i) does the streams within fragmented forest of different soil type supports unique species of aquatic fauna?, (ii) how well does the fragmented forest represent (in term of aquatic biodiversity) the overall habitat within the plantation?, and (iii) what size should the forest patches be in order to meet the ecological needs of unique species? This project aims to (i) assess species richness of fish and macroinvetebrates in streams associated with mineral soil and peatland, (ii) assess the carrying capacity of the two habitats in supporting species richness of fish and macroinvertebrates (especially rare/endemic species), and (iii) determine environmental parameters that significantly influent community structure of the fauna. Thirteen physico-chemical parameters are measured in 18 streams. The 18 streams are habitats to more than 120 species of aquatic fauna include fish, crustaceans, mollusks and aquatic insects. The significant findings include discovery of a new semiterrestrial vampire crab, Geosesarma larsi (Image 1) and a blind gudgeon fish, Pogoneleotris heterolepis (Image 2)

Training of Trainers: The Post-Graduate Diploma In Teaching And Learning Program at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak

A public university in Malaysia is generically geared towards three core businesses, namely teaching-learning, research, and consultancy and community services. Being a young university in the country and the first one in the state of Sarawak, UNIMAS has had to hire young graduates to put together eight faculties at the time it opened its doors to the first intake of students in 1994. The more experienced faculty members are lecturers who have taught elsewhere in Malaysia, mostly with more than five years of teaching experience at university level. As the academic community at the university grew, and as the student population increased each year, the university realized how much the quality of teaching-learning needed to be effectively addressed, in terms of training and recognition. The university acknowledged the necessity to put in place a mechanism to train lecturers the basics of teaching, to ensure effective learning and the achievement of learning outcomes, as part of the contribution to a quality education at the university. It is also hoped that, with the current fresh interest in upgrading the skills of teaching among lecturers, the academic community will collectively be more inclined toward improving the delivery of learning and skills in their courses. After a decade of existence, the university introduced a special training program—the Postgraduate Diploma in Teaching and Learning as a strategy to fulfill its mission to achieve excellence in teaching, research, and scholarship. As one of the youngest universities in the country, UNIMAS is now at a crucial stage of seriously considering developing a culture to enhance the scholarship of teaching and learning to provide quality education