Tools for Land Use Analysis on Different Scales: With Case Studies for Costa Rica (System Approaches for Sustainable Agricultural Development)

This book reflects the results of more than ten years of cooperative research involving Wageningen Agricultural University (y. l AU) in the Netherlands, the Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center (CATIE; Centro Agron6mico Tropical de lnvestigaci6n y Ensefianza) in Costa Rica and the Costa Rican Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG; Ministerio de Agricultura y Ganadeda) as part of the Research Program on Sustainability in Agriculture (REPOSA) in the Central American country. The type of cooperation was unusual as it focused on both research and the education of students undertaking either M. Sc. thesis projects or a program of practical training in the various aspects of studying land use. Since funding was provided by W AU, a high degree of scientific autonomy was created that has clearly benefited the independent, scientific rigor of the work. Over the ten-year period, the program has changed from being a patchwork of various insulated specialist projects, into a truly interdisciplinary effort, leading to the development of innovative tools for analyzing land use on a number of geographical scales. These tools are presented in this book. Besides CATIE and MAG, cooperation with other Costa Rican partner institutions has been essential from the beginning, and this process of interaction has also evolved considerably over time. Regional development is intrinsically related to the way in which the land is used. Given the rising awareness of the multifunctionality of the world's land resources, policy makers now face the complex task of accommodating multiple objectives of an increasing number of stakeholders in regional development. This implies a need for tools that can be employed to provide insights into the opportunities and limitations of land use. Those tools should be capable of quantifying trade-offs between socio-economic, sustainability, and environment-related policy objectives. This book offers a detailed account of a range of interdisciplinary methodologies for land use analysis, developed over a twelve-year period (1986-1998) in Costa Rica, through collaborative research between three institutions: one from the North (Wageningen Agricultural University of The Netherlands), and two from the South (the Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center [CATIE] and the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock [MAG]). The methodologies span a number of spatial scales, ranging from the field level all the way to the national level. Concepts of systems analysis and information technology play a pivotal role in each of the methodologies. Together, they form a unique toolbox that deserves ample use in the process of agricultural policy design Front Matter....Pages i-ix Introduction....Pages 1-7 The physical and socio-economic setting: the northern Atlantic Zone of Costa Rica....Pages 9-34 Using the CLUE framework to model changes in land use on multiple scales....Pages 35-63 Spatial equilibrium modeling for evaluating inter-regional trade flows, land use and agricultural policy....Pages 65-96 Technical Coefficient Generators for quantifying land use systems....Pages 97-114 Integrated biophysical and socio-economic analysis of regional land use....Pages 115-144 Exploring future land use options: combining biophysical opportunities and societal objectives....Pages 145-169 Farm modeling for policy analysis on the farm and regional level....Pages 171-198 Linking information technology and farmer knowledge in a decision support system for improved banana cultivation....Pages 199-212 A toolbox for land use analysis....Pages 213-232 Back Matter....Pages 233-275