What is kaingin farming?

Answer 1

Kaingin = slash and burn method

Slash and burn consists of cutting and burning of forests or woodlands to create fields for agriculture or pasture for livestock, or for a variety of other purposes. It is sometimes part of shifting cultivation agriculture, and of transhumance livestock herding.

Historically, the practice of slash and burn has been widely practiced throughout most of the world, in grasslands as well as woodlands, and known by many names. In temperate regions, such as Europe and North America, the practice has been mostly abandoned over the past few centuries. Today the term is mainly associated with tropical rain forests. Slash and burn techniques are used by between 200 and 500 million people worldwide

Older English terms for slash and burn include assarting, swidden, and fire-fallow cultivation.

Slash and burn is a specific functional element of certain farming practices, often shifting cultivation systems. In some cases such as parts of Madagascar, slash and burn may have no cyclical aspects (e.g., some slash and burn activities can render soils incapable of further yields for generations), or may be practiced on its own as a single cycle farming activity with no follow on cropping cycle. Shifting cultivation normally implies the existence of a cropping cycle component, whereas slash-and-burn actions may or may not be followed by cropping.

Answer 2

Kaingin farming is a traditional farming method used in Southeast Asia, particularly the Philippines, where forests are cut down and burned to create fields for agriculture. While it can be an effective way to clear land for farming, it can also lead to deforestation, soil degradation, and loss of biodiversity. It is often considered unsustainable and harmful to the environment.