Taungya: Forest Plantations with Agriculture in Southeast Asia

As natural forests disappear in tropical and subtropical countries, governments and forest industries are turning to plantations to meet the demand for timber. In some places plantations have been successful but in other regions they have not. Failure has sometimes been due to environmental factors but frequently has occurred because of social problems. As more and more land is needed for agriculture, it will become even more difficult to ensure a sustainable supply of forest products. Increasingly, forest managers will have to take into consideration the needs and problems of the local communities and populations if wood production is to be sustained to future generations. Taungya forestry has arisen to ameliorate conflicts between foresters who need land for forest plantations, and shifting cultivators who need it to plant subsistence crops. Taungya is a system of forest plantations in which peasants are allowed to cultivate crops for the first few years between the seedlings of a forest plantation. Recent modifications to the taungya system include social and economic benefits to participating families.
This book describes the history and current practices of taungya, as it has developed in Southeast Asia since its introduction to Burma in the 1860s, and assesses its strengths and weaknesses. It suggests social, economic, and technical modifications that may help make taungya a method for improving the sustainability of forestry in developing countries, and will interest those concerned with tropical forestry, agroforestry systems and rural development.