Food security and land use deforestation in northern Guatemala

Shriar, Avrum J.

doi:10.1016/s0306-9192(02)00046-5

Cited by 52 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…Its creation was a policy response to concerns about increasing deforestation in Pete´n (Shriar, 2002). As a Biosphere Reserve follows a model of sustainable regional development which includes integrated rural development projects (Kuhn, 2000).…”

Section: The Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Tourists‘ and Locals‘ Preferences Toward Ecotourism Development in the Maya Biosphere Reserve, Guatemala

Hearne

Santos

2005

Environ Dev Sustain

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Ecotourism has been identified as a low impact means to provide income generating opportunities that are complementary to nature conservation as well as the welfare of the local population. The Maya Biosphere Reserve in Peten, Guatemala is one of Central America's largest and most isolated protected areas. And although the area is contains a well-visited archeological site, it has not been developed for ecotourism. In this study choice experiments are used to analyze the preferences toward alternative scenarios of ecotourism of two important stakeholder groups: foreign tourists and educated local residents. Results demonstrate that these two populations of have unequal but similar preference orderings, especially toward: improved national park management and the presence of guides for wildlife viewing. These stakeholder groups had different opinions toward paved access roads and the presence of illegal colonists within the protected area. Both populations favored an entrance fee toward the absence of an entrance fee. These preferences were generally consistent across other socioeconomic indicators.

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Section: The Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Tourists‘ and Locals‘ Preferences Toward Ecotourism Development in the Maya Biosphere Reserve, Guatemala

Hearne

Santos

2005

Environ Dev Sustain

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“…Researchers measured an increase in deforestation carried out by PROCAMPO recipients ranging from 6.5% to 38%, observing that Yucatán farmers used their PROCAMPO-supported lands to grow cash crops, such as Chili peppers, while subsistence crops like maize and beans were shifted to newly cleared fields. These findings provide support for broader analyses suggesting that, under economic liberalization policies, smallscale farmers' limited access to credit and purchased inputs makes it difficult for them to undertake intensification using existing agricultural resources (Klepeis and Vance 2003;Shriar 2002;Barbier 2000). These behavioral patterns are relevant to the discussion of in situ conservation 5 Initially, under the administration of Ernesto Zedillo (1994Zedillo ( -2000 these programs were introduced as Alianza para el campo.…”

Section: Structural Changes In Post-nafta Policymentioning

confidence: 63%

Institutional support and in situ conservation in Mexico: biases against small-scale maize farmers in post-NAFTA agricultural policy

Keleman

2009

Agric Hum Values

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One of the major adjustments brought on by the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was a change in the relationship between Mexican agricultural support institutions and the small-scale agricultural sector. Post-NAFTA restructuring programs sought to correct previous inefficiencies in this sector, but they have also had the effect of marginalizing the producers who steward and manage the country’s reserve of maize (Zea mays) genetic diversity. Framed by research suggesting that certain maize varieties in a rain-fed farming region in southern Sonora are in danger of loss due chiefly to long-term drought, this article explores the ramifications of post-NAFTA agricultural policies for in situ maize diversity conservation. Qualitative methods, including semi-structured interviews with agricultural support institutions and participant observation with farmers, were used to gather data on dryland farmers’ access to research and extension, as well as possibilities for collective action. In southern Sonora, agricultural support is oriented primarily toward high-tech production, and there are structural barriers to small-scale farmers’ access to research and extension institutions. Further, collective action around agriculture is limited. These circumstances represent significant limitations to farmers’ options for accessing new techniques which might help maintain maize diversity in the context of economic and environmental change

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“…As described in an earlier paper (Shriar, 2002), intensification may be increasingly important for meeting both socioeconomic objectives, such as food security, and environmental objectives, such as forest conservation. However, it is worth noting that some controversy has emerged in regards to the link between intensification and deforestation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…However, it is worth noting that some controversy has emerged in regards to the link between intensification and deforestation. Most authors have emphasized, and indeed it would appear to be intuitive, that reducing deforestation requires the development of more intensive yet sustainable alternatives to shifting cultivation and extensive forms of cattle ranching (e.g., Serrao and Toledo, 1990; both spatial and temporal (Shriar, 2002); and (c) the inherent limitations of cross-sectional data (Perz, 2003).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Determinants of Agricultural Intensity Index “Scores” in a Frontier Region: An Analysis of Data from Northern Guatemala

Shriar

2005

Agric Hum Values

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Data on farming systems in Petén, Guatemala, were used to develop an agricultural intensity index. The index can be used to assign an intensity ''score'' to a given farming system based on the array of practices used by the farmer, each practice's contribution to production intensity, and the scale at which these practices are used. The scores assigned to 118 farmers in three study areas in Petén were analyzed through analysis of variance (ANOVA) to identify the factors that account for the variation in intensity levels, as measured through the index. The analyses reveal that the factors influencing agricultural intensity in Petén vary greatly from one study area to the next. This is due to differences in livelihood opportunities and strategies that, in turn, affect how agriculture fits into the local economy and how and why intensification is pursued. Variation in intensity levels can best be understood by considering the factors at the household and sub-regional scales that influence (a) whether farmers feel a need to intensify, (b) whether they see some benefit in doing so, and (c) whether they have the resources required to intensify production through particular strategies. Close attention must be paid to these factors by conservation and development organizations seeking to influence land use patterns and conserve forest in Petén.

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Food security and land use deforestation in northern Guatemala

Cited by 52 publications

References 19 publications

Tourists‘ and Locals‘ Preferences Toward Ecotourism Development in the Maya Biosphere Reserve, Guatemala

Tourists‘ and Locals‘ Preferences Toward Ecotourism Development in the Maya Biosphere Reserve, Guatemala

Institutional support and in situ conservation in Mexico: biases against small-scale maize farmers in post-NAFTA agricultural policy

Determinants of Agricultural Intensity Index “Scores” in a Frontier Region: An Analysis of Data from Northern Guatemala

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