There is a shortage of studies about slash-and-burn in wellestablished agricultural systems and its importance for improvingfood production and enhancing biodiversity and agriculturaldiversity in the tropics and sub-tropics. A long and importanttradition of slash-and-burn in black bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)production persists in the Prudentópolis municipality in southernBrazil. This agricultural system is practised over hilly terrain withshallow soil. In addition, mountainous areas prevent agriculturalmodernization, ensuring the persistence of this farming technique.Using an official dataset of bean production and semi-structuredinterviews with farmers and agricultural experts, the paperinvestigates slash-and-burn characteristics in a consolidatedagricultural region and assesses the prospects for its persistence.The slash-and-burn system, intended mainly for bean crops,corresponds to 30% of the total bean yield in Prudentópolis.Slash-and-burn agriculture has a vital role to play for local foodproduction and a sustainable eco-system. Therefore, ademographic and land-use transition might be experienced in thisregion and in similar regions in the tropics, with social andenvironmental implications for food production, land usedynamics and rural migration and development.