Slash-and-burn agroecosystems are important to rural poor and indigeno
us peoples in the developing world. Ecologically sound slash-and-burn
agriculture is sustainable because it does not depend upon outside inp
uts based on fossil energy for fertilizers, pesticides and irrigation.
One means of demonstrating the soundness of slash-and-burn agroecosys
tems is to prove empirically the ecological compatibility of this syst
em of crop production. This paper examines the ecological sustainabili
ty of slash-and-burn agriculture based on the productivity of soil res
ources.