Poverty and natural resource degradation: Agropastoralism in the northern coast of Peru.

Abstract

Agropastoralists in the northern coast of Peru survive on less than US $0.80 per day. It is not their extensive small ruminant production systems that cause deforestation but the woodcutting for self-consumption or for selling in the market. Agropastoralists respond to signals of the firewood market, which represents cash for them and undervalues the forest resource. Duraiappah’s concept of endogenous poverty applies in some locations because of heavy reliance on forest extraction relative to the forest stock. Other locations, with greater welfare poverty but more diversified economies, could achieve,with organized agrosilvopastoral management and marketing of livestock products, sustainable forest use and higher income