Browsing by Author "Pedlowski, Marcos A."

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  • Agroforestry diffusion and secondary forest regeneration in the Brazilian Amazon: Further findings from the Rondônia Agroforesty Pilot Project (1992-2002)
    Browder, John O.; Wynne, Randolph H.; Pedlowski, Marcos A. (Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2005)
    This article reports on research conducted on a ten year pilot program for agroforestry in the Amazon. With the aim of studying the effectiveness of agroforestry practices and sustainability as a livelihood method, the experiment allowed for the selection of 50 farms in the Amazonian region, each of which were connected with resources to establish a small plot of trees to produce products with high market potential. After five years, 64% of the original plots remained. Moreover, nearly 18% of farmers nearby had adopted some practices of agroforestry, far above the rate of adoption outside the pilot project area. The study concludes that agroforestry can be sustainably adopted and practiced with minimal outside intervention over the long term.
  • Agroforestry performance on small farms in Amazonia: Findings from the Rondonia Agroforestry Pilot Project
    Browder, John O.; Pedlowski, Marcos A. (Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2000)
    This article reports on the success of an agroforestry pilot project first begun in 1992. Overall, there is a high rate of success in adoption and in linking producers to markets, with particularly high sustainability rates among fruit trees and some hardwood varieties. Among the failed experimental plots, the role of social factors in planting, harvesting, and overall performance are discussed in detail. It is indicated that these social factors are key to long term sustainability for small-holder agroforestry.
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    An Emerging Partnership in Regional Economic Development: Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), Local State and the World Bank. A Case Study of Planafloro, Rondônia, Brazil
    Pedlowski, Marcos A. (Virginia Tech, 1997-05-07)
    There is a growing body of literature arguing that NGOs are an important tool in the efforts of civil society to influence the actions of the State, especially in the process of economic development. NGOs are primarily seen as effective advocates for the less privileged sectors of civil society. This study examines the influence of local NGOs participation in the implementation of PLANAFLORO, a regional economic development program partially funded by the World Bank in the Brazilian state of Rondônia. This study focuses on four issues that are commonly used to justify the inclusion of NGOs in the development process: representativeness, accountability, autonomy and effectiveness. This study relies on three basic methods of data gathering: focused interviews of key informants, questionnaire-based surveys of different stake-holder groups, and information from secondary sources. This study’s results challenge the common wisdom regarding the positive impacts of NGO participation in economic development programs, and on their contribution to democratic governance. NGOs participating in PLANAFLORO faced great institutional and political difficulties in the process of participation. Many NGOs did not have either the institutional capabilities or the financial autonomy to influence the process of policy-making in PLANAFLORO effectively. Moreover, most NGOs did not have mechanisms of accountability to inform the program’s intended beneficiaries of the state of PLANAFLORO’s implementation. Finally, both the local State and the World Bank only reluctantly accepted the participation of NGOs in PLANAFLORO. This fact served to greatly limit the contribution of NGOs in PLANAFLORO.
  • Tropical forest management and silvicultural practices by small farmers in the Brazilian Amazon: Recent farm-level evidence from Rondônia
    Summers, Percy M.; Browder, John O.; Pedlowski, Marcos A. (Elsevier B.V., 2004)
    This paper examines forest management and silvicultural practices of small colonist landholders in the western Brazilian Amazon state of Rondônia. Although recent colonists in the Amazon are widely acknowledged as key agents of tropical forest conversion, relatively little is known of their uses of primary and secondary forest patches and the degree to which these farmers plant trees as part of their land use strategies. Based on longitudinal survey data drawn from three different colonist settlements in 1992 and 2002, this paper explores the range of small farmer's uses of forests and fallows that may indicate future trends in forest management. We also examine the links between forest extraction and tree planting and the factors that may influence these practices. We found that nearly 40% of the farmers surveyed regularly extract useful products from their forests. We examine the types and quantities of timber and non-timber forest products extracted by small farmers over this 10-year study period, and reasons given by them for managing or not managing their forest patches. Forest extractor households were characterized as having a smaller percentage of their land deforested and small cattle herds. In addition, we found that roughly 30% of the small farmers surveyed planted trees on their farms during this 10-year study period. Results of statistical analysis (ANOVA and chi square contingency tests) to identify factors that correlate with tree planting behavior indicate that tree planters own larger plots, reside longer on those plots, have a larger number of working age household members, and secure land titles. They were also more likely to participate in social organizations. We conclude that despite ongoing deforestation processes in the region, natural forest use is an important subsistence activity for many small farmers and that many farmers are planting and managing tree species for both short-term products and as long-term investments. (CAB Abstract)