Slash and Burn Agriculture

Indians cutting gardens (conucos) in the jungle

Cutting gardens in the Amazon

The Indians of the amazon are mostly slash and burn agricultural farmers. The main food is the yucca plant which is the root used for making bread and even drinks. Each family will have two to three gardens in various stages at any given time. Every year the village comes together to cut new gardens as each clan will need to cut several acres of virgin forest every dry season.



Canoe loads of people leave each morning to cut a new garden. The men will take their axes or machetes and the women will carry along water pots and cooking utensils.


Women preparing yucuta, a drink made from the yucca plant ,which will be given to the working men for refreshment.

Serving men drinks from gourds.

The cool drink is welcome, as the temperature is over 95* and in the virgin forest, the atmosphere is like a sauna.

Each man begins working on cutting down his own tree.

Pastor Victor keeps an eye on the work of the younger men. Each year someone will be injured, snake bitten, or killed during the conuco cutting time. But without the garden, they will starve.

Victor's son, Carlos begins work.

Taking a break from the hard work.

Ready to get started!

Making progress!

Nearly there!

Seeing the finished work. Now the women will cut the trees for fire wood.

Heading back to the canoes.