Determinants of agricultural intensification and maize productivity in the Maya Biosphere Reserve, Guatemala

Abstract

Tropical deforestation is one of the world’s most pressing environmental issues. Some theorists, building on agricultural economist Esther Boserup’s work, propose that agricultural intensification through population growth curbs deforestation through limiting extensive forest cutting for agricultural purposes. Although various scholars have studied the drivers of tropical deforestation, few have examined the determinants of agricultural intensification, which plays key role in forest conservation. This paper uses household data collected in the Maya Biosphere Reserve, Guatemala, to uncover predictor variables associated with intensification in farmed plots. Maize productivity is statistically and positively related with several key variables including smaller farms, and a small percentage of overall land area in crops; the latter households dedicate more of their output to market sales instead of subsistence. These results challenge the applicability of Boserup’s theory to the tropical agricultural frontier but is consistent with theories of land and labor maximization.

Keywords

• deforestation
• intensification
• land use
• guatemala
• petén