Drivers and consequences of archetypical shifting cultivation transitions

Shifting cultivation remains an important land system in many tropical landscapes, but transitions away from shifting are increasingly common. So far, our knowledge on the social–economic and environmental drivers consequences of such is incomplete, focusing certain transitions, drivers, or regions. Here, we use archetype approach, validated through systematically identified literature, to describe eight archetypes encompassing (1) perennial plantation crops, (2) permanent agroforestry, (3) regrown secondary forest, (4) non-perennial (5) pasture, (6) wood plantation, (7) non-cultivated non-forested (8) restored forest (ordered decreasing prevalence). We then discuss factors favouring disfavouring each archetype. This reveals that higher expected rents, resulting increased market access, crop price surges, secure tenure state interventions, main archetypical crops plantation. The prioritisation other activities, both on- off-farm, favours land, depending plot-level conditions. Active restoration typically implemented NGO interventions. Turning for biodiversity, environment livelihoods, find positive outcomes prevail forest. Negative dominate four economically profitable pasture Non-income-related heterogeneous within all highly context-dependent. Our analysis shows diverse themselves, their consequences. calls a critical contextualised appraisal continuation cultivation, as well transition it, when designing policies work people nature. Read free Plain Language Summary this article Journal blog.