Abstract: Xishuangbanna is one of the highest biological and cultural diversity areas in China, which manifests in the richness of forest management systems practiced by the different ethnic groups. Destruction and fragmentation of tropical rainforests in Xishuangbanna however have threatened the wildlife and other biological diversity in the region because of the fragile tropical forest ecosystems.This paper analyzes the swidden agroecosystems in Xishuangbanna based on social organization, customary institutions, resource tenure, indigenous technological knowledge and market economy from community forestry point of views. It concludes that the swidden cultivation is a prototype of community forestry. It still evolves the diversity of community forestry in a transition to market economy in multi-ethnic minority areas in Xishuangbanna.

Key words: drip irrigation, seed cotton yield, water use efficiency, irrigation index.