Population and development in the Amazon: A longitudinal study of migrant settlers in the Northern Ecuadorian Amazon

Abstract

This paper examines changes over time for a full generation of migrant settlers in the Northern Ecuadorian Amazon (NEA). Data were collected from a 2014 household survey covering a subsample of households surveyed previously in 1990 and 1999. We observed changes in demographic behavior, land use, forest cover, and living conditions. As the frontier develops, human fertility is continuing to decline with contraceptive prevalence rising. Meanwhile, out-migration from colonist households, largely to destinations within the region, persists. More households have secure land tenure than in 1999, and are better off as measured by possession of assets. There is continued growth in pasture, largely at the expense of forest. Farms still serve as an important livelihood source for families, though growing cities in the NEA are creating more non-agricultural economic opportunities. Our findings provide a snapshot of demographic, economic, land use, and livelihood changes occurring in the NEA during the past quarter century, providing useful information for policymakers seeking to balance economic and environmental goals in order to promote sustainable development as well as protect biodiversity. KEYWORDS: family planning, deforestation, livelihoods, migration Población y desarrollo en la Amazonia: Un estudio longitudinal de colonos migrantes en la Amazonía norte del Ecuador RESUMEN Este artículo describe cambios para una generación de migrantes en la Amazonía norte del Ecuador (ANE). Nosotros realizamos una encuesta en el 2014 de un subgrupo de fincas que encuestamos en 1990 y 1999. Observamos cambios demográficos, del uso de la tierra, de la cubierta forestal, y de las condiciones de vida de este grupo. Encontramos que la fecundidad está disminuyendo y que el uso de planificación familiar está aumentando. La migración fuera de las fincas continúa, la mayoría a destinos en la ANE. Más fincas tienen los derechos de su tierra y las familias tienen más bienes. Desde 1999 ha habido conversión en las fincas de bosques a pasto. Las fincas son fuentes importantes de sustento de vida, pero las ciudades en crecimiento están creando otras oportunidades económicas. Nuestros resultados demuestran cambios significativos demográficos, económicos, del uso de la tierra, y de las condiciones de vida durante el periodo 1990-2014. Nuestro artículo provee información útil para líderes que quieran avanzar metas económicas y ambientales para promover el desarrollo sostenible y proteger la biodiversidad. PALABRAS CLAVE: planificación familiar, deforestación, sustento de vida, migración 322

Determinants of Agricultural Diversification in a Hotspot Area: Evidence from Colonist and Indigenous Communities in the Sumaco Biosphere Reserve, Ecuadorian Amazon

“…Furthermore, the amount of land devoted to agricultural uses is still small (7.6 ha per household) in the SBR. These patterns of small-scale farming are consistent with previous research [52,[66][67][68], which reported similar values for other areas in the EAR.…”

Agricultural technology adoption among migrant settlers and indigenous populations of the Northern Ecuadorian Amazon: are differences narrowing?

“…Table 1 presents summary results for input use and mean levels of socioeconomic, demographic, and land use variables from each of the settler and indigenous surveys. Earlier studies discuss differences between most of the household-level predictors over time, which are therefore not elaborated upon here (Sellers et al 2017;Gray et al 2008).…”

“…These indigenous populations are growing rapidly (at about 3% per year in recent decades) as a result of continuing high fertility (mean total fertility rate of 7 births per woman in 2012; Davis et al, 2015) and declines in mortality due to widespread programs of vaccination, sedentarization with communal land entitlements, provision of primary schools, as well as reductions in warfare (Lu et al, 2012). Among settlers in the NEA, land use practices have changed over time, involving both intensification and extensification (Pan and Bilsborrow, 2005;Sellers et al, 2017). Since the beginning of our study, the majority of the large farms of about 50 hectares owned by the initial settlers have been subdivided as the population of the region has grown.…”

“…Subdividing land allowed the original owners to provide parcels for their children as they became adults and formed families as well as sell parcels to new in-migrants. Recent evidence suggests that these smaller plots are largely planted in crops, with less pasture and little primary forest in contrast with intact, larger farms (Sellers et al, 2017). Settlers typically engage in multiple forms of land use on a single farm, including 1) annual crops (such as rice, maize, or bananas/plantains), largely for their own subsistence consumption; 2) perennial crops (such as coffee or cacao), which are for market sale and often require substantial chemical inputs; 3) livestock (primarily cattle); and 4) maintaining some area in primary or secondary forest.…”

“…Settler and indigenous farmers in the NEA also have different practices with regard to land tenure. Property in settler communities is privately owned, although some owners lease plots to/from other owners and others lack a title to their land (Bilsborrow et al, 2004;Sellers et al, 2017). While some indigenous communities are adopting private property rights, communal property is still dominant among all the ethnicities studied (Bremner and Lu, 2006).…”