Perspective: Subsistence Farmers

(Edwards 2013)

Slash and burn agriculture is detrimental to the Amazon, but some depend on this method to survive.  The indigenous people of the Amazon rainforests and local farmers rely on slash and burn techniques to feed themselves and their families; they do not make a profit from the crops or the felled vegetation.  For them, it is the only way to live because subsistence farmers do not have enough money to obtain non-forest land (Butler 2012).  Originally, because farmers would rotate to different areas of the forest and let the burned land regrow its vegetation, the practice was not as harmful (Butler 2012). Naturally, farmers continued to use slash and burn as a method to feed themselves, but now, they are unable to leave enough time between cycles because most of the countries around the Amazon have high populations that leads to a struggle for land (Butler 2012).  This misuse of the slash and burn method was an inevitable result of the rise in population; subsistence farmers cannot now bring their way of life to a halt.

                                                     
                                              (Lancaster University 2013)

Butler, R. (2012) Subsistence Agriculture and Deforestation. Tropical Rainforests. Mongabay.com. (Date of Access: May 13, 2013.) http://rainforests.mongabay.com/0804.htm

Edwards, M. (2013) Hard Rain Picture Library. Hard Rain Project (Date of Access: May 16, 2013.)

http://www.hardrainproject.com/hrpl?n=9531


Lancaster University. (2013) Part 1: Why Amazonian farmers use fire. YouTube. YouTube.com. (Date of Access: May 20, 2013.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDOq7QZXTdI