swidden

[swid-n]

noun

1. a plot of land cleared for farming by burning away vegetation.

swidden

/ ˈswɪdən /

noun

1. 1. an area of land where slash-and-burn techniques have been used to prepare it for cultivation

   2. ( as modifier )

      small-scale swidden agriculture

Word History and Origins

Origin of swidden¹

1951; special use of dial. (N England) swidden area of moor from which vegetation has been burned off, noun use of swidden, swithen to singe < Old Norse svithna to be singed, derivative of svītha to singe (compare dial. swithe, Middle English swithen )

Word History and Origins

Origin of swidden¹

C18: Northern English dialect variant of swithen to burn

Example Sentences

In Asia, the Karen villagers of Hin Lad Nai in northern Thailand, in partnership with researchers, have demonstrated that that their millennia-old traditions of swidden agriculture are an invaluable resource for sustaining biodiversity and carbon stocks.

From Scientific American

The only form of agriculture they can practice for a long time is "slash-and-burn,” or "swidden,” as it is sometimes known.

From Literature

In the Amazon, the turn to swidden was unfortunate.

From Literature

Although swidden does permit the forest to regrow, it is wildly inefficient and environmentally unsound.

From Literature

More important, the very existence of so much healthy forest after twelve thousand years of use by large populations suggests that whatever Indians did before swidden must have been ecologically more sustainable.

From Literature