Sustainable agriculture in Central America : [papers from the 1995 annual conference of the Association for European Research on Central America and the Caribbean, held Oct. 14-15, 1995, in Paris, France

Agricultural development in Central America is based on extensive growth, supported by macroeconomic policies that marginalize small peasants. Deforestation, erosion and resource depletion are particularly severe. This book offers a comprehensive review of the perspectives for state policies and local action to enhance sustainable agriculture. Macroeconomic conditions and institutional arrangements for the establishment of sustainable production systems in different eco-regional settings (hillsides, humid tropics, frontier areas) are discussed, as well as policy instruments to improve property rights, management rules and financial mechanisms to enhance sustainable resource use. Front Matter....Pages i-viii Introduction and Summary....Pages 1-6 Front Matter....Pages 7-7 Deforestation in Central America: Historical and Contemporary Dynamics....Pages 9-29 Macroeconomic Conditions for Sustainable Agriculture in Central America....Pages 30-48 Front Matter....Pages 49-49 Policies Affecting Deforestation for Cattle in Central America....Pages 51-66 Production Systems in the Humid Tropics of Nicaragua: a Comparison of Two Colonization Areas....Pages 67-88 Food Insecurity as a Sustainability Issue: Lessons from Honduran Maize Farming....Pages 89-107 Diversity and the Nature of Technological Change in Hillside Farming in Honduras....Pages 108-126 Front Matter....Pages 127-127 Livelihoods, Land Rights and Sustainable Development in Nicaragua’s Bosawas Reserve....Pages 129-141 Alternative Approaches and Problems in Protected Area Management and Forest Conservation in Honduras....Pages 142-156 Front Matter....Pages 157-157 Land Reform and Resource Management within Agrarian Production Cooperatives in Honduras....Pages 159-180 Land Titling and Prospects for Land Conservation: Lessons from a Case-Study in Honduras....Pages 181-190 Non-Conventional Rural Finance and the Crisis of Economic Institutions in Nicaragua....Pages 191-209 Rural Lending by Projects: Another Cycle of Unsustainable Interventions in Credit Markets? An Analysis of Case Studies in Central America....Pages 210-230 Back Matter....Pages 231-234 Agricultural development in Central America is based on extensive growth, supported by macroeconomic policies that tend to marginalize small peasants. Deforestation, erosion and resource depletion are particularly severe. This book offers a comprehensive review of the perspectives for state policies and local action to improve sustainability of agricultural production. Macroeconomic conditions and institutional arrangements for the establishment of sustainable production systems in different eco-regional settings (hillsides, humid tropics, frontier areas) are discussed, as well as policy instruments to improve property rights, management rules and financial mechanisms to enhance sustainable resource use Agricultural development in Central America is based on extensive growth, supported by macroeconomic policies that marginalize small peasants. Deforestation, erosion and resource depletion are particularly severe. This book offers a comprehensive review of the perspectives for state policies and local action to enhance sustainable agriculture. Macroeconomi conditions and institutional arrangements for the establishment of sustainable production systems in different eco-regional settings (hillsides, humid tropics, frontier areas) are discussed, as well as policy instruments to improve property rights, management rules and financial mechanisms to enhance sustainable resource use.
Examines state policies and local action to enhance sustainable agricultural production. Macro-economic conditions and institutional arrangements in hillside, humid tropics and frontier areas, are discussed. Policy to improve property rights, management rules and financial mechanisms are also reviewed.