%K Latin America, Bolivia, deforestation, cash crop, poverty alleviation, farm technology
%A V Vadez
%A V Reyes-Garcia
%A T Huanca
%A W R Leonard
%I Tsimane Amazonian Panel Study
%D 2005
%L icrisat3225
%X Research suggests that cash-cropping is associated with deforestation. We use
three-year data (2000-2002) 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% increase of the area of forest cleared next cropping season. We simulate the
changes required to reach 1US$/person/day income with cash from rice. We find that
within 10 years 1) deforestation would triple, 2) work requirements would exceed
household’s labor availability, and 3) fallows duration would decrease two-fold.
Avoiding growing deforestation due to cash-cropping by smallholders requires increasing
productivity, diversification of income sources, or both.
%T Cash cropping, farm technologies, and deforestation: What are the connections?. Tsimane' Amazonian Panel Study Working Paper # 18, Dec-2005