Wealth Accumulation and Activity Choice Evolution Among Amazonian Forest Peasant Households

This paper examines investment and livelihood decisions among forest peasant households in the Amazonian floodplain. A dynamic household model of multiple asset accumulation and activity choice under risk and credit constraints is developed by incorporating natural resource use and human capital evolution. Asset portfolios and sectoral incomes are estimated and then simulated to investigate the endowment and lifecycle dependency as well as the convergence/divergence of asset accumulation and corresponding activity choices. Physical asset endowment (especially land) and different human capital evolutions across activities help to explain forest peasants' livelihood choices, distinctive asset portfolios, and divergent income outcomes over the lifecycle.

Smoothing Income against Crop Flood Losses in Amazonia: Rain Forest or Rivers as a Safety Net

This article examines the role of ex post labor supply in smoothing income in response to crop losses caused by large floods among riverine households in the Peruvian Amazon, where rich environmental endowments permit a variety of resource extractive activities and coping responses. The paper finds that households respond to crop losses primarily by intensifying fishing effort not by relying on gathering of non-timber forest products, hunting, or asset liquidation. This ex post labor adjustment helps to smooth total income against small crop losses but less well against large crop losses. Both relatively non-poor households with better fishing capital and poor young households with a physical labor advantage employ this natural insurance in rivers.

Agriculture traditionnelle et fleurs coupées : un mariage réussi en Amazonie

À l’aide d’une posture à l’interface entre l’ethnobiologie et la géographie, nous démontrons comment les fleurs ornementales coupées peuvent faire le lien entre villes et campagnes, entre les villages producteurs et entre les différents agro‑écosystèmes existant le long du fleuve Amazone. Cette activité lucrative de vente de fleurs se traduit par un ajout d’activités et d’espèces, et non pas par une substitution ou une modification de la structure spatiale du système agricole traditionnel. La valorisation sociale des espèces est façonnée par l’espace où elles sont cultivées, par la nature fragile de leur matériel de propagation, et par leur vulnérabilité biologique. Rares et précieuses, les fleurs acquièrent aussi une valeur économique non négligeable. Cultiver de belles roses procure un statut social à l’agriculteur qui aime exposer ses savoir-faire hérités et transformés.By drawing on an approach at the intersection of ethnobiology and geography, we show how ornamental cut flowers effectively forge links between town and country, among producer villages, and between different agroecosystems found along the Amazon river, near Iquitos (Peru). This lucrative activity arose from the introduction of new farming practices and novel plant species, rather than by substitution or modification of the spatial structure of the traditional agricultural system. The social value of flower species is fashioned by the space where they are cultivated, by the fragile nature of their propagules, and by their biological vulnerability. Rare and precious, these flowers acquire a non-negligible economic value as well. The cultivation of beautiful roses begets a social stature to the farmer who wishes to demonstrate to others his or her inherited knowledge and know-how

REPIQUETES Y RIESGO EN EL CULTIVO DE ARROZ EN LA LLANURA INUNDABLE DEL RÍO AMAZONAS CERCA DE IQUITOS, PERÚ

The floodplain of the Amazon river offers considerable potential for agriculture but is a risk-filled environment for farmers working the fertile but flood-prone land. Flood reversals that occur as river levels fall and rise between May and November —known as repiquetes— pose a serious threat to crop cultivated on the floodplains, particularly commercial rice. In this paper we analyze the 45-year record of daily water levels at Iquitos to determine the frequency and magnitude of repiquetes and their impact on the crop growing season. Interviews and land surveys conducted in four riverside communities near the Isla Muyuy archipelago indicate the impact of repiquetes and other hazards on rice production, and assessed farmers’ willingness to pay for flood risk adaptation tools. Our findings point to index-based insurance as promising strategy to buffer risk and promote agricultural development of the Amazon floodplain.Las llanuras inundables del río Amazonas poseen un gran potencial para la agricultura, pero no están exentas de riesgos para los agricultores que cultivan en esas tierras fértiles muy propensas a inundaciones. Estas inundaciones repentinas, que ocurren a medida que el nivel del río disminuye entre mayo y noviembre, son conocidas como «repiquetes» y representan una amenaza seria para los cultivos en llanuras inundables, especialmente para el arroz comercial. En este artículo se analiza el registro diario de los niveles de agua del río Amazonas en Iquitos de los últimos 45 años (entre 1968 y 2012), para determinar la frecuencia y magnitud de los repiquetes y su impacto en la temporada de crecimiento del cultivo. Las entrevistas y los estudios de campo realizados en cuatro comunidades ribereñas, cerca del archipiélago Muyuy, revelan el impacto de los repiquetes y otros riesgos en la producción de arroz, así como la disposición de los agricultores al pago por los instrumentos apropiados para disminuir el riesgo de las inundaciones. Nuestros hallazgos apuntan a un seguro basado en índices climáticos, como una nueva estrategia para reducir el riesgo y promover el desarrollo agrícola en las llanuras inundables del Amazonas

Tropical Forests and Shifting Cultivation: Secondary Forest Fallow Dynamics Among Traditional Farmers of the Peruvian Amazon

Abstract Tropical secondary forests created by swidden-fallow agriculture cover extensive areas in the humid tropics and yield significant ecological and economic benefits, yet forest fallowing behaviour among swidden cultivators remains poorly understood. This paper reports on a study of forest fallow management among Amazonian peasant farmers in a traditional, riverside community near Iquitos, Peru. Data were gathered through in-depth household interviews (n = 36) on farming practices, demographic characteristics, kinship relations and family history, income-expenditures and household wealth. Field visits and interviews allowed the reconstruction of forest fallow histories (n= 593 fields) for the period of 1950-1994. These histories were combined with information on household land holding and demographic composition, over time, and incorporated into a panel data set for analysis of fallow dynamics at the plot and household level. Our analyses indicate marked variations among households in the area, number and age of fallow holdings through time. Tobit regressions suggest that households with better access to land and to both in-house (male) and communal labour hold more land in secondary forest fallow with longer fallow periods. Over time, as primary forest lands around the community became increasingly scarce, households increased their holdings of forest fallow but reduced the fallow length. Duration analyses at the plot level indicate that fallow length is influenced primarily by the type of prior crop, field size, and household access to labour as well as primary forest. Land poorer households have significantly shorter forest fallows than better-off households. Our findings point to the importance of intra-community variations in non-market mediated access to land and labour and their implications for secondary forest fallow management among traditional peoples in tropical rain forest regions

Conclusion - En route, mais laquelle ?

Caminante no hay camino, se hace camino al andarAntonio Machado À l’instar des traditions africaines, où l’invité doit dire plusieurs fois à son hôte qu’il compte « prendre la route », avant de pouvoir s’y engager vraiment, nous sommes aujourd’hui nombreux à dire que nous souhaitons « prendre la route ». La route de l’innovation. Mais quelle innovation ? Le symposium ISDA a été l’occasion de nous attarder encore un peu sur cette question, avant de n..

Farmer seed networks make a limited contribution to agriculture? Four common misconceptions

The importance of seed provisioning in food security and nutrition, agricultural development and rural livelihoods, and agrobiodiversity and germplasm conservation is well accepted by policy makers, practitioners and researchers. The role of farmer seed networks is less well understood and yet is central to debates on current issues ranging from seed sovereignty and rights for farmers to GMOs and the conservation of crop germplasm. In this paper we identify four common misconceptions regarding the nature and importance of farmer seed networks today. (1) Farmer seed networks are inefficient for seed dissemination. (2) Farmer seed networks are closed, conservative systems. (3) Farmer seed networks provide ready, egalitarian access to seed. (4) Farmer seed networks are destined to weaken and disappear. We challenge these misconceptions by drawing upon recent research findings and the authors’ collective field experience in studying farmer seed systems in Africa, Europe, Latin America and Oceania. Priorities for future research are suggested that would advance our understanding of seed networks and better inform agricultural and food policy

Estimating aboveground carbon density and its uncertainty in Borneo's structurally complex tropical forests using airborne laser scanning

Borneo contains some of the world's most biodiverse and carbon-dense tropical forest, but this 750 000 km(2) island has lost 62% of its old-growth forests within the last 40 years. Efforts to protect and restore the remaining forests of Borneo hinge on recognizing the ecosystem services they provide, including their ability to store and sequester carbon. Airborne laser scanning (ALS) is a remote sensing technology that allows forest structural properties to be captured in great detail across vast geographic areas. In recent years ALS has been integrated into statewide assessments of forest carbon in Neotropical and African regions, but not yet in Asia. For this to happen new regional models need to be developed for estimating carbon stocks from ALS in tropical Asia, as the forests of this region are structurally and composition-ally distinct from those found elsewhere in the tropics. By combining ALS imagery with data from 173 permanent forest plots spanning the lowland rainforests of Sabah on the island of Borneo, we develop a simple yet general model for estimating forest carbon stocks using ALS-derived canopy height and canopy cover as input metrics. An advanced feature of this new model is the propagation of uncertainty in both ALS- and ground-based data, allowing uncertainty in hectare-scale estimates of carbon stocks to be quantified robustly. We show that the model effectively captures variation in aboveground carbon stocks across extreme disturbance gradients spanning tall dipterocarp forests and heavily logged regions and clearly outperforms existing ALS-based models calibrated for the tropics, as well as currently available satellite-derived products. Our model provides a simple, generalized and effective approach for mapping forest carbon stocks in Borneo and underpins ongoing efforts to safeguard and facilitate the restoration of its unique tropical forests.Peer reviewe

Landscape-scale benefits of protected areas for tropical biodiversity

We are indebted to numerous local communities, PA and government agency staff, research assistants, and other partners for supporting the field data collection. Research permissions were granted by appropriate forestry and conservation government departments in each country. Special thanks is given to the Sarawak State Government, Sarawak Forestry Corporation, Forest Department Sarawak, Sabah Biodiversity Centre, the Danum Valley Management Committee, the Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM), the Smithsonian Institute and the Tropical Ecology Assessment and Monitoring (TEAM) network, Sarayudh Bunyavejchewin, and Ronglarp Sukmasuang. Support was provided by the United Nations Development Programme, NASA grants NNL15AA03C and 80NSSC21K0189, National Geographic Society’s Committee for the Research and Exploration award #9384–13, the Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Researcher Award DECRA #DE210101440, the Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, the Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia, Nanyang Technological University Singapore, the Darwin Initiative, Liebniz-IZW, and the Universities of Aberdeen, British Columbia, Montana, and Queensland.Peer reviewedPostprin