Agricultural change, rural labor markets, and forest clearing: An illustrative case from the Philippines

TR Number

Date

2001

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press

Abstract

This paper investigates the relationship of agricultural employment and land use choices in upland tropical forest margins. The author combines models of lowland agricultural production and upland farm labor allocation to study the influence of labor productivity, agricultural wages, and economic returns on deforestation rates. Data collected from Philippine farms shows that adoption of lowland irrigation increased labor demand, providing employment to upland residents, and thus causing a small (but statistically significant) reduction in deforestation rates.

Description

Metadata only record

Keywords

Rural development, Deforestation, Local markets, Market demand, Economic analyses, Economic policy, Commercialization, Livelihoods, Irrigated farming, Small-scale farming, Rainfed agriculture, Modeling, Irrigation, Small holder enterprise, Intensive farming, Farming systems, Labor markets, Labor allocation, Upland agriculture, Lowland agriculture, Labor allocation, The Philippines, Agricultural intensification, Agricultural change, Farm/Enterprise Scale Governance

Citation

Land Economics 77(2): 268-284