Slash-and-burn agriculture is regaining attention for its regenerative aspects

As the climate crisis becomes more real, the shift to a circular economy is a common challenge for the whole world. Particularly in agriculture, the concept of “regenerative agriculture,” which aims to restore the natural environment while restoring and improving the soil, has emerged, and circular agricultural systems are needed.

In recent years, Japanese slash-and-burn agriculture has attracted attention as a form of recycling-oriented agriculture.

Cyclical farming methods that utilize the power of nature

The Takachiho Township and Mount Shiiba area is the only area in Japan that has inherited slash-and-burn farming as a primitive farming method dating back 5,000 years. It was inscribed as a World Agricultural Heritage Site by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in 2015 in recognition of its traditional farming, biodiversity, rural culture, and landscape.

Basically, slash-and-burn agriculture is common in tropical regions with acidic and nutrient-poor soils, mainly in South-East Asia, Africa, and South America. It has the advantage that the ashes of the wood neutralize the soil and make the land suitable for cultivation, while the burning of the wood also prevents pests and weeds.

Compared to the method used in Southeast Asia and elsewhere, the area burned in Mt Shiiba is small, ranging from 30 a to 1 ha, and is known for its relatively low impact on wildlife, as neither herbicides nor chemical fertilizers are used.

In addition, the cultivation of different crops on the same land in a fixed order and cycles: buckwheat in the first year, Japanese millet in the second year, azuki beans in the third year, and soya beans in the fourth year is done through crop rotation, which balances the soil nutrition and prevents crop diseases.

After 4 years of cultivation in this way, the land is left fallow for a relatively long period of about 25 years to recover its fertility before being used again.

Slash-and-burn agriculture should not be generally rejected

On the other hand, slash-and-burn farming is often unjustly condemned in the name of environmental protection.

In Laos, the government’s policy of controlling slash-and-burn, the shift to cash crop cultivation, and rapid population growth have created a vicious circle whereby land that has not been left fallow long enough is forced to be used. In the Amazon, there are also reports of unsustainable land-grabbing fire-clearing practices being carried out by settlers searching for agricultural land after commercial logging had taken place and by immigrants who moved here as a result of state policies.

However, the original primitive slash-and-burn agriculture can be cycled if the land is available and fallow periods are observed.
[Website] Shiiba Village Tourism Association

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