Social Determinants and Land Use Correlates of Agricultural Technology Adoption in a Forest Frontier: A Case Study in the Brazilian Amazon

Abstract

Despite new research on agricultural intensification, we still have limited knowledge of the determinants of technology adoption in low-density, limitedmarket regions, particularly in humid tropical forests. This lacuna has led to divergent opinions about the impacts of intensification on land use in the Brazilian Amazon, well-known for deforestation of fragile tropical ecosystems. This paper takes up the case of the Amazon to address two questions concerning the adoption of agricultural technologies: 1) what are its social determinants, and 2) what are its land use correlates. Empirical data come from a recent survey of smallholders along the Transamazon highway. The first part of the analysis, consisting of models of eight agricultural technologies, shows that households with more labor and capital are more likely to adopt technologies. The second part shows that for all technologies, adopters have more land cleared than do non-adopters. These findings raise questions for further research on intensification while also suggesting policy prescriptions to mitigate deforestation.