Cash Cropping, Farm Technologies, and Deforestation: What Are the Connections? A Model with Empirical Data from the Bolivian Amazon

Vadez, Vincent, Reyes-García, Victoria, Huanca, Tomás, Leonard, William R., Human Organization

Research suggests that cash cropping is positively associated with deforestation. We use three-year data (2000-2002, inclusive) from 493 households to estimate the association between cash cropping rice and deforestation. Doubling the area sown with rice is associated with a 26-30 percent increase in the area of forest cleared during the next cropping season. We simulate the changes in rice cultivation to reach a daily income level of $1/person from cash cropping rice. We find that within 10 years: (1) the amount of deforestation would triple, (2) work requirements would exceed household's labor availability, and (3) fallows duration would decrease two-fold. To avoid the increase of …

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Publication information: Article title: Cash Cropping, Farm Technologies, and Deforestation: What Are the Connections? A Model with Empirical Data from the Bolivian Amazon. Contributors: Vadez, Vincent - Author, Reyes-García, Victoria - Author, Huanca, Tomás - Author, Leonard, William R. - Author. Journal title: Human Organization. Volume: 67. Issue: 4 Publication date: Winter 2008. Page number: 384+. © Society of Applied Anthropology Winter 2008. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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