làm nương
Definition
- Verb phrase:
- To practice swidden agriculture / to cultivate a swidden: The primary meaning refers to the traditional agricultural method of clearing and burning forested land to create a temporary field for crops.
- To work on a hillside field: Describes the act of farming on a sloped, upland field, typically used for growing staple crops like rice, corn, or cassava.
Usage Examples
- Verb phrase:
- Bà con dân tộc thường lên rừng làm nương vào mùa xuân. (Ethnic minority communities often go to the forest to practice swidden agriculture in the spring.)
- Công việc chính của họ là làm nương trồng ngô và sắn. (Their main work is to cultivate hillside fields for growing corn and cassava.)
Advanced Usage
- The term "làm nương" is deeply connected to the cultural and economic practices of many ethnic groups in Vietnam's mountainous regions. It implies a cyclical pattern of land use, often involving fallow periods.
Variants and Related Words
- Làm rẫy (v.phr.): a synonym often used interchangeably with "làm nương", referring to the same type of slash-and-burn or upland farming.
- Người dân ở đây sống chủ yếu bằng nghề làm rẫy. (The people here live mainly by practicing swidden farming.)
Synonyms
- To practice slash-and-burn agriculture: a direct descriptive synonym.
- To farm upland fields: describes the location and nature of the work.
Related Concepts
- Du canh du cư (n.phr.): shifting cultivation; the broader agricultural system of which "làm nương" is a part, involving rotating fields and sometimes relocation.
- Phát nương (v.phr.): specifically refers to the initial stage of clearing the land for a "nương" field.