Differentiation of swidden agriculture in Northeast Cambodia: Kavet swiddeners, the state and the markets in Kok Lak commune

peer reviewedUntil recently, Kavet ethnic minority people traditionally practiced swidden agriculture and accessed natural resources in the uplands as an important, and unchallenged, part of their food system. This present study aims to trace the historical transformation of land use and tenure practices by Kavet communities in Kok Lak commune in the context of various state-driven and social-economic transformations. At commune level, we look at land use changes along with the migrations associated with these transformations. We also aim to understand how these changes have induced social differentiation between households as it relates to their entitlements, their production activities and their income structure. We examine the transformation in land use prompted by a multiplicity of drivers (demographic, economic, political, institutional and cultural) and in land tenure regimes through a land control matrix that differentiates between two types of rights (the land rights of the users and the rights to manage those rights given to the users). We discovered that the Kavet people have been resilient in protecting and promoting the core of their swidden territories and traditions; however, recent developments (including the establishment of the Virachey National Park (VNP) and market incentives) have considerably fragmented their land uses, cultural values and institutions. Through forced and free migration, some households have adopted new forms of agriculture (e.g. paddy, and annual and perennial non-rice crops) and converted their swidden land into cashew plantations, while others still rely solely on the practice of swidden agriculture as a lifestyle. By reviewing past transformations, by identifying the role swidden agriculture has had and the contribution it has made to the lives of the Kavet people, we recommend that efforts be made to conserve it in recognition of the pivotal role it plays in community development and to adopt better land use planning at local level. But proper consideration should also be given to the Kavet people who do not practice swidden agriculture