From wild harvesting to agroforest cultivation: A Chamaedorea palm case study from Chiapas, Mexico

Non-timber forest products (NTFP) commercialisation usually modifies the livelihoods and economic strategies of forest people to make room for NTFP cultivation systems. This paper analyzes livelihood changes, new production techniques and future challenges of a case study in a South-eastern Mexican...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inForest policy and economics Vol. 28; pp. 44 - 51
Main Authors Rico García-Amado, Luis, Ruiz Pérez, Manuel, Dahringer, Guillaume, Reyes Escutia, Felipe, Barrasa García, Sara, Contreras Mejía, Elsa
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Elsevier B.V 01.03.2013
Subjects
beans
case studies
Chamaedorea
Chamaedorea Palm
commercialization
corn
costs and returns
Cultivation
Euterpe oleracea
Farmers
Forest products
forests
harvesting
Households
Income
Livelihood
Mexicans
Mexico
nontimber forest products
NTFP
Plantations
Production
Mexico, Chiapas
Mexico
Chamaedorea Palm
Mexico
NTFP
Cultivation
Livelihood
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Summary:Non-timber forest products (NTFP) commercialisation usually modifies the livelihoods and economic strategies of forest people to make room for NTFP cultivation systems. This paper analyzes livelihood changes, new production techniques and future challenges of a case study in a South-eastern Mexican community where Chamaedorea palm cultivation is displacing wild harvesting. The results illustrate the fast adoption of palm plantations due to salient improvements in the economic return to effort. The change was led by richer households, although communal structures have allowed the middle income households to participate in the process. While palm producers do not tend to have beans and corn subsistence plots, landless poorer members have been left out of palm activities, basically remaining as subsistence farmers. ► We analyze livelihood changes derived from NTFP cultivation in a communal forest. ► Palm plantations have been adopted due to salient improvements in return to effort. ► They were started by richer farmers, leading to an initial elite's capture of palm. ► Communal structures have allowed middle-income farmers' inclusion in palm revenues. ► Landless poorer members have been left out of palm activities.
Bibliography:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.forpol.2012.12.004
ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
content type line 23
ISSN:1389-9341
1872-7050
DOI:10.1016/j.forpol.2012.12.004