Shifting cultivation enhances bio-diversity
and is crucial for in-situ conservation of
crop genetic resources.
Shifting cultivation is a form of land use which
enhances biodiversity. Severe declines in plant
diversity have been observed in most areas
when shifting cultivation is replaced by
permanent land use systems. Particularly
worrying is the decline in agrobiodiversity.
Shifting cultivators have preserved
agrobiodiversity through local rules, practices
and the informal networks for exchange of
seeds and knowledge, thus ensuring food
security of their communities. Along with the
replacement of shifting cultivation comes the
collapse of these networks, which results in a
substantial loss of crop genetic resources. The
availability of high genetic diversity in
agricultural plants has however been
identified as a key element in adaptation
strategies to climate change.