Food security and land use deforestation in northern Guatemala

Abstract

Petén, Guatemala is a lowland tropical frontier that has experienced substantial in-migration and deforestation in recent decades. Efforts to curb deforestation in Petén must be based on a better understanding of farmer strategies and the factors that drive them. This paper outlines some key findings that emerged through a detailed study of these strategies and factors. In particular it discusses the important influence of food security concerns on household strategies, as well as farmers’ growing interest in agricultural intensification, mainly in response to the reduction in the area of forest land available for swidden agriculture. The types of intensification strategies being turned to vary considerably, both among communities/sub-regions, and among households, due to differences in factors that influence the economic feasibility of particular activities. Petén farmers are more concerned about conserving forest than is commonly recognized. However, their ability to reduce pressure on forested areas through adoption of more intensive practices is constrained by weak market conditions and prices, poor agricultural services, low levels of farmer organization, and poverty.