摘要：Despite the fact that swidden agriculture has been the subject of decades of research, questionsremain about the extent to which it is constrained by demographic growth and if it can adapt to environmentallimits. Here, social network analysis is used to analyze farmer labor-exchange networks within achronosequence of five Q'eqchi' Maya villages where swidden agriculture is used. Results suggest thatchanges in land-use patterns, network structure, reciprocity rates, and levels of network hierarchy mayincrease the resilience of these villages to changes in the forest's agricultural productivity caused by ongoingagricultural activity. I analyze the suitability of subsistence- versus market-oriented agricultural labor forreciprocal labor exchange and develop a novel interpretation of labor reciprocity that highlights howunreciprocated exchanges, when they occur within the context of a network, may limit overexploitation ofthe forest. The variability observed in labor-exchange network structure across villages suggests thatQ'eqchi' swidden can maintain its identity under changing conditions. This important characteristic ofresilient systems is explored by analyzing a village case study where a serious demographic exodusdramatically impacted their labor network. The resulting picture of Q'eqchi' swidden agriculture is one ofresilience rather than homeostasis. Reorganization of labor-exchange networks helps to maintain a village'scohesion, and ultimately this limits pioneer settlements and may slow overall rates of deforestation
