Livestock, Deforestation, and Policy Making: Intensification of Cattle Production Systems in Central America Revisited

¹ Department of Agricultural, Resource, and Managerial Economics, and Department of Animal Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853

Objectives were to analyze arguments that extensive cattle production causes deforestation in Central America and to evaluate trade-offs among policy objectives implied by intensification of cattle production. Intensification of cattle systems is unlikely to alter dramatically the deforestation rates in Central America because consumer demand for livestock products is not the principal factor motivating most migration to forest areas. Rather, many migrants are from resource-poor households and are seeking survival at the forest margin. Policies to slow deforestation need to improve economic opportunities for the rural poor and to promote sustainable agricultural land use through technologies that farmers will adopt. Policies to promote intensification need to recognize the role of existing extensive cattle systems, the technical limitations and opportunities that are associated with different types of intensification, and the trade-offs between objectives of producers and policy makers. Depending on the policy trade-offs, intensification of existing production systems, such as the dual purpose system, may be preferable to substitution of specialized technologies from temperate countries. More information is required about production possibilities, social impacts, and the trade-offs among various strata of farmers and consumers to formulate better livestock policies for Central America.

Key Words: cattle • deforestation • land use • intensification

Submitted on May 26, 1994
Accepted on September 26, 1994