Book excerpt: As natural forest disappear in tropical and subtropical countries, governments and forest industries are turning to plantations to meet the demand for timber. Taungya forestry has arisen to ameliorate conflicts between foresters who need land for forest plantations and shifting cultivators who need it to plant subsistence crops. Taungya is a system of forest plantations in which peasants are allowed to cultivate crops for the first few years between the seedlings of a forest plantations. Recent modifications to the taungya system include social and economic benefits to participating families. This book describes the history and current practices of taungya, as it has developed in Southeast Asia since its introduction to Burma in the 1860s, and assesses its strengths and weaknesses. It suggests social, economic and technical modifications that may help make taungya a method for improving the sustainability of forestry in developing countries (in Africa and South America as well as Asia), and will interest those concerned with tropical forestry, agroforestry systems and rural development.