Essartage et riziculture humide. Complémentarité des écosystèmes agraires à Stung Treng au début du XXe siècle

摘要

At the beginning of the 20th century, wet-paddy cultivation and swidden were the primary forms of agriculture in Stung Treng (Cambodia), with swidden being practiced by indigenous groups and wet-paddy cultivation by the ethnic Lao and Khmer. Archives stored in Phnom Penh show that the disparate but complementary nature of these agro-systems allowed a trade system to develop which promoted cash income and significantly reduced the risk of famine for all ethnic groups. However, a common perception of the Khmer and French rulers was that wet-paddy cultivation is an economically superior practice as compared to swidden, failing to understand that swidden yielded better harvests over time. This misconception led to inapropriate policies and taxation.