Lived multifunctionality: Indigenous perceptions of shifting cultivation landscapes in the Naga Hills of Myanmar
8 affiliations
- 1Centre for Development and Environment, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- 2Regional Center for Social-Science and Sustainable Development, Faculty of Social Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand
- 3Independent Researcher, Chiang Mai, Thailand
- 4Independent Researcher, Konstanz, Germany
- 5Environmental Science Research Center, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand
- 6CREATES – Centre de Recherche-Action sur les Transformations Écologiques et Sociales, Thiafoura, Senegal
- 7Wyss Academy for Nature, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- 8The International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), Cali, Colombia
Abstract
Shifting cultivation is frequently misrepresented in policy and environmental discourse as ecologically destructive and economically inefficient. This study examines the lived multifunctionality of shifting cultivation (jhum) landscapes in the Naga Self-Administered Zone of Myanmar, where Indigenous Naga communities depend on diverse land-use mosaics for livelihoods, cultural reproduction, and ecological resilience. Drawing on fieldwork in 42 villages across Layshi Township, we combined participatory mapping, livelihood product inventories, and community-based scoring to analyse how different land-use types, including jhum fields, forests, gardens, and paddy terraces, are perceived and valued by local communities. The results show that jhum systems, commonly categorised by the state as “vacant” or “degraded” land, are locally regarded as the most multifunctional land-use type, providing the widest range of livelihood products and contributing consistently to food security, medicines, construction materials, and cultural practices. Forests and home gardens complement jhum fields by supporting dietary diversity and income, together forming an interdependent landscape mosaic. These findings highlight a disconnect between technocratic land-governance frameworks and Indigenous understandings of sustainability, and demonstrate how the misrecognition of multifunctional upland systems can undermine pathways toward more inclusive sustainability transformations. Recognising customary land-use systems such as jhum is therefore critical not only for ecological sustainability, but also for epistemic justice and more equitable development policy. Author summary: Shifting cultivation is often described as backward, destructive, or temporary, but for many Indigenous communities it remains part of a complex and highly valued landscape. In this study, we worked with Naga communities in Layshi Township in northwest Myanmar to better understand how people use and value different parts of their customary lands. Through participatory mapping, village surveys, and community scoring exercises, we found that these landscapes support a wide range of needs, including food, income, construction materials, cultural practices, and ecological functions. Our findings show that shifting cultivation areas, fallows, forests, gardens, paddy fields, and other land types are not separate or isolated spaces. Rather, they work together as part of a multifunctional system that supports livelihoods and resilience. This matters because land policies often fail to recognise the diversity and value of these systems, especially when land is classified in narrow or simplified ways. By making local land use and community values more visible, this study contributes to wider debates about customary tenure, Indigenous land rights, and more inclusive approaches to land governance.
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BibTeX
@article{hunt2026lived,
title = {{Lived multifunctionality: Indigenous perceptions of shifting cultivation landscapes in the Naga Hills of Myanmar}},
author = {Glenn Hunt and Athong Makury and Julia Fogerite and Manuel von der Mühlen and Arkar Soe Htet and Joan Bastide and Andreas Heinimann and Henri Rueff},
journal = {PLOS Sustainability and Transformation},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1371/journal.pstr.0000288},
url = {https://journals.plos.org/sustainabilitytransformation/article?id=10.1371/journal.pstr.0000288},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Lived multifunctionality: Indigenous perceptions of shifting cultivation landscapes in the Naga Hills of Myanmar
AU - Glenn Hunt
AU - Athong Makury
AU - Julia Fogerite
AU - Manuel von der Mühlen
AU - Arkar Soe Htet
AU - Joan Bastide
AU - Andreas Heinimann
AU - Henri Rueff
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/09
JO - PLOS Sustainability and Transformation
DO - 10.1371/journal.pstr.0000288
UR - https://journals.plos.org/sustainabilitytransformation/article?id=10.1371/journal.pstr.0000288
AB - Shifting cultivation is frequently misrepresented in policy and environmental discourse as ecologically destructive and economically inefficient. This study examines the lived multifunctionality of shifting cultivation (jhum) landscapes in the Naga Self-Administered Zone of Myanmar, where Indigenous Naga communities depend on diverse land-use mosaics for livelihoods, cultural reproduction, and ecological resilience. Drawing on fieldwork in 42 villages across Layshi Township, we combined participatory mapping, livelihood product inventories, and community-based scoring to analyse how different land-use types, including jhum fields, forests, gardens, and paddy terraces, are perceived and valued by local communities. The results show that jhum systems, commonly categorised by the state as “vacant” or “degraded” land, are locally regarded as the most multifunctional land-use type, providing the widest range of livelihood products and contributing consistently to food security, medicines, construction materials, and cultural practices. Forests and home gardens complement jhum fields by supporting dietary diversity and income, together forming an interdependent landscape mosaic. These findings highlight a disconnect between technocratic land-governance frameworks and Indigenous understandings of sustainability, and demonstrate how the misrecognition of multifunctional upland systems can undermine pathways toward more inclusive sustainability transformations. Recognising customary land-use systems such as jhum is therefore critical not only for ecological sustainability, but also for epistemic justice and more equitable development policy. Author summary: Shifting cultivation is often described as backward, destructive, or temporary, but for many Indigenous communities it remains part of a complex and highly valued landscape. In this study, we worked with Naga communities in Layshi Township in northwest Myanmar to better understand how people use and value different parts of their customary lands. Through participatory mapping, village surveys, and community scoring exercises, we found that these landscapes support a wide range of needs, including food, income, construction materials, cultural practices, and ecological functions. Our findings show that shifting cultivation areas, fallows, forests, gardens, paddy fields, and other land types are not separate or isolated spaces. Rather, they work together as part of a multifunctional system that supports livelihoods and resilience. This matters because land policies often fail to recognise the diversity and value of these systems, especially when land is classified in narrow or simplified ways. By making local land use and community values more visible, this study contributes to wider debates about customary tenure, Indigenous land rights, and more inclusive approaches to land governance.
SN - 2767-3197
ER -