Patterns and management of agroforestry systems in Yunnan : An approach to upland rural development

Characterized by great cultural and environmental diversity, Chinaʹs South-Western Yunnan Province supports an exceptionally rich and dynamic agrodiversity. Since 1990 the Traditional Land Management Systems (TLM) Research Programme has researched change, variation, and adaptability of Yunnanʹs little studied agroforestry systems In four different areas. Research efforts focus on the interplay between these agroforestry systems, shifting land and resource rights, rural government policies, Indigenous management, demographic change, and market conditions. The authors review agrodiversity in Yunnan by briefly highlighting specific forms of agrodiversity and by examining in-depth the transition of Zhuoxi Village farmers, a TLM research area, from swidden agriculture to a predominantly agroforestry based economy.