The Effects of the Slash-and-Burn farming industry on the Prosperity of the Amazon

Abstract

This paper is dedicated to the devastating impacts of the slash-and-burn farming industry on the Amazon Rainforest’s environmental and socioeconomic conditions. The research focuses on the government's failures when addressing issues that influence deforestation rates, climate change, and cultural letdown across the Amazon’s three main countries, Peru, Brazil, and Colombia. The countries hold the most responsibility for preserving the rainforest’s biodiversity and the prosperity for its natives. These countries have struggled and exposed the Amazon to many illegal activities such as logging, land grabbing, and illicit crop cultivation all on top of slash-and-burn agriculture.  This has put the indigenous Amazonians at substantial risk and altered their way of life completely. The paper has emphasized the need for government reform to regulate slash-and-burn farmers as well as the increase in illegal activities. The research mentions how the focus on infrastructure instead of environmental protection and protection for indigenous rights has increased the decline in the Amazon’s prosperity. Of course these problems vary by country. For instance, in Colombia, slash-and-burn agriculture is the leading contributor to deforestation; however, in Brazil the focus on infrastructure within the Amazon has put the indigenous communities the most at risk. In Peru, the action they have taken, while useful on crime, hasn’t aided indigenous struggles or the influx in slash-and-burn farmers. The report argues the need for government reform, stronger regulation, and the education of farmers on more sustainable practices. Ultimately, it is critical for the Amazon’s future for the government to shift its current policies and prioritize the protection of indigenous populations and biodiversity.