Shifting Cultivation, Livelihood and Food Security New and Old Challenges for Indigenous Peoples in Asia Editor Christian Erni Published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and International Work Group For Indigenous Affairs and Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact Bangkok, 2015 The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), or of the International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA) or of the Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact (AIPP) concerning the legal or development status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The mention of specific companies or products of manufacturers, whether or not these have been patented, does not imply that these have been endorsed or recommended by FAO, or IWGIA or AIPP in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned. The views expressed in this information product are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of FAO, or IWGIA or AIPP. 978-92-5-108761-9 (FAO) © FAO, IWGIA and AIPP, 2015 FAO, IWGIA and AIPP encourage the use, reproduction and dissemination of material in this information product. Except where otherwise indicated, material may be copied, downloaded and printed for private study, research and teaching purposes, or for use in non-commercial products or services, provided that appropriate acknowledgement of FAO, IWGIA and AIPP as the source and copyright holder is given and that FAO’s, IWGIA’s and AIPP’s endorsement of users’ views, products or services is not implied in any way. All requests for translation and adaptation rights, and for resale and other commercial use rights should be made via www.fao.org/contact-us/licence-request or addressed to [email protected]. Cover design and layout: Nabwong Chuaychuwong Cover images: Christian Erni Shifting Cultivation, Livelihood and Food Security iii Acknowledgements The Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact (AIPP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) would like to acknowledge the International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA) as well as the concerned dedicated colleagues in FAO and AIPP for their support and effort to publish this important document. In particular, we are grateful for the full support and contributions of Dr Christian Erni of IWGIA for coordinating and editing the case studies, as well as Mr Yon Fernandez Larrinoa, Ms Gina Geal, Ms Yoshiko Ishihara, Ms Justine Cherrier, Ms Kaori Abe and Ms Soojin Kim of FAO for their contribution. We also extend our acknowledgement and appreciation of the contributions of the case study researchers namely: ● Dr Krishna Bhattachan, Researcher, Nepal ● Dr Jeremy Ironside, Researcher, Cambodia ● Ms Satomi Higashi, Researcher, Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) ● Mr Amba Jamir, Researcher, India (North East) ● Mr Sudibya Kanti Khisa, Researcher, Bangladesh ● Dr Christian Erni and Mr Prawit Nikorn, Researchers, Thailand ● Mr Ben Efraim, Researcher, Indonesia Likewise, we appreciate the peer reviewers for their critical feedback and suggestions on the research findings. We would like to also acknowledge the contributions provided by government officials of Bangladesh, Lao PDR, India, Indonesia, Philippines (National Commission on Indigenous Peoples – NCIP), Nepal (National Foundation for Development of Indigenous Nationalities – NFDIN), Malaysia, Thailand; representatives of civic society organizations such as the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), The Center for People and Forests (RECOFTC), Non-Timber Forest Products Exchange Programme for South and South East Asia (NTFP-EP), World Agroforestry Center (ICRAF) in the multi-stakeholder consultation on the case studies held in Chiang Mai, Thailand in August 2014. iv Acknowledgements Finally, we would like to sincerely thank and dedicate this publication to the indigenous communities, including women and youth for their support utmost cooperation in the conduct of case studies and their continuing practice of shifting cultivation as part of their cultural heritage and well-being. Ms Joan Carling Dr Hiroyuki Konuma Secretary General FAO Assistant Director-General and Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact (AIPP) Regional Representative in Asia and the Pacific Shifting Cultivation, Livelihood and Food Security v Table of Contents Page Executive Summary ...................................................................................... vii Contributors ................................................................................................. xiii Part I: Introduction Shifting cultivation, livelihood and food security: New and old challenges for indigenous peoples in Asia Christian Erni ....................................................................................... 3 Part II: Case Studies Chapter 1 Shrinking Jum and changing livelihoods in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh Sudibya Kanti Khisa and Mohammad Mohiuddin ................................. 41 Chapter 2 The changing face of swidden agriculture: a case study of two villages in Ratanakiri Province, Cambodia Jeremy Ironside ....................................................................................... 97 Chapter 3 Shifting options: a case study of shifting cultivation in Mokokchung District in Nagaland, India Amba Jamir ........................................................................................... 159 Chapter 4 Food security in the farming system of the Dayak Jalai in Ketapang District, West Kalimantan, Indonesia Institut Dayakologi................................................................................. 203 Chapter 5 An alternative approach to land and forest management in Northern Lao PDR Satomi Higashi ...................................................................................... 253 vi Table of Contents (continued) Page Chapter 6 ‘Post-shifting cultivation’: struggles for livelihood and food security among Tharu people displaced by the Chitwan National Park in Nepal Krishna B. Bhattachan ........................................................................... 291 Chapter 7 The lizard on the tree and the Tailor Bird village: 21st Century livelihood challenges among Karen swidden farmers in Thailand Christian Erni and Prawit Nikornuaychai .............................................. 327 Shifting Cultivation, Livelihood and Food Security vii Executive Summary The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples was adopted by the UN General Assembly on 13 September 2007, which was drafted with the active participation of indigenous peoples. Since then, the importance of the role that indigenous peoples play in economic, social and environmental conservation through traditional sustainable agricultural practices has been gradually recognized. The contributions of indigenous peoples to ecosystem management and sustainable development in the form of in-depth knowledge on the natural environment and time proven practices in hunting, gathering, fishing, pastoralism and agriculture, are increasingly understood and appreciated. It is also recognized that the traditional knowledge, innovations and practices of indigenous peoples and local communities make an important contribution to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. Consistent with the mandate to eradicate hunger, poverty and malnutrition and based on the due respect for universal human rights, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) adopted in August 2010 a policy on indigenous and tribal peoples in order to ensure the relevance of its efforts to respect, include, and promote indigenous people’s related issues in its general work. During the last session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII), a joint meeting between the UN agencies and indigenous people’s representatives was held in May 2013 in New York. The newly elected member from the Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact (AIPP) of the Forum representing Asia, expressed their interest to engage with the FAO Regional Office in Asia and the Pacific (RAP) in relation to indigenous peoples’ concerns. In response, a regional consultation on ‘Ways Forward: FAO and Indigenous Peoples’ was successfully held on 19-20 November 2013 in Bangkok, Thailand. The Consultation updated the status of policy and initiatives on indigenous peoples in the region and identified key challenges, gaps and needs as a basis for future collaboration. One of the key conclusions of this consultation was the need for an in-depth reflection on the challenges faced and opportunities offered by adaptive responses and good practices which respect to sustainable livelihoods and food security, sustainable resource management and biodiversity conservation of and by indigenous peoples and their communities. It was recommended to conduct case studies focusing on good practices as well as policy constraints, in particular in relation to land tenure and other collective rights of indigenous peoples. viii Executive Summary As a follow up to the recommendation, FAO, AIPP and IWGIA jointly carried out case studies. A researcher, or a group of researchers, who is familiar with the selected indigenous community and its most important livelihood — shifting cultivation — prepared each country case study. Based on field studies,