Sustainable agricultural intensification in forest frontier areas

The Lore Lindu region in Indonesia—as in many forest frontier areas in Southeast Asia—has experienced rapid deforestation due to agricultural expansion in the uplands, at the forest margins. This has resulted in aggravated problems of erosion and water availability, threatening agricultural producti...

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Main Authors: Maertens, Miet, Zeller, Manfred, Birner, Regina
Format: Journal Article
Language:Inglés
Published: Wiley 2006
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/172114
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author Maertens, Miet
Zeller, Manfred
Birner, Regina
author_browse Birner, Regina
Maertens, Miet
Zeller, Manfred
author_facet Maertens, Miet
Zeller, Manfred
Birner, Regina
author_sort Maertens, Miet
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description The Lore Lindu region in Indonesia—as in many forest frontier areas in Southeast Asia—has experienced rapid deforestation due to agricultural expansion in the uplands, at the forest margins. This has resulted in aggravated problems of erosion and water availability, threatening agricultural productivity growth. At the same time, technical progress is promoting agricultural intensification in the lowlands. In this article, we examine how improved technologies for paddy rice cultivation in the lowlands have affected agricultural expansion and deforestation in the uplands. The question of a "forest-saving" or "forest-clearing" effect related to technical innovation is important from a sustainable development perspective and remains a controversial issue in the literature. We address this question for the Lore Lindu region with an empirical model in which expansion in the lowlands and the uplands is estimated simultaneously. We use data from an extensive village survey conducted in the region, combined with GIS data. To guide the empirical analysis, we develop a theoretical framework based on a Chayanov-type agricultural household model. The model analyzes farmers' land allocation decisions, taking into account the lowland–upland dichotomy in the agricultural sector. The empirical findings, corroborated by the analytically derived results, show how technical progress for lowland production affects land use at the forest margins and how these effects depend on the factor-intensity of the technology. The findings imply specific rural development policies for sustainable agricultural intensification in forest frontier areas.
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spelling CGSpace1721142025-02-19T14:07:34Z Sustainable agricultural intensification in forest frontier areas Maertens, Miet Zeller, Manfred Birner, Regina agricultural growth households sustainable development forests land deforestation erosion water availability rice geographical information systems land use rural development The Lore Lindu region in Indonesia—as in many forest frontier areas in Southeast Asia—has experienced rapid deforestation due to agricultural expansion in the uplands, at the forest margins. This has resulted in aggravated problems of erosion and water availability, threatening agricultural productivity growth. At the same time, technical progress is promoting agricultural intensification in the lowlands. In this article, we examine how improved technologies for paddy rice cultivation in the lowlands have affected agricultural expansion and deforestation in the uplands. The question of a "forest-saving" or "forest-clearing" effect related to technical innovation is important from a sustainable development perspective and remains a controversial issue in the literature. We address this question for the Lore Lindu region with an empirical model in which expansion in the lowlands and the uplands is estimated simultaneously. We use data from an extensive village survey conducted in the region, combined with GIS data. To guide the empirical analysis, we develop a theoretical framework based on a Chayanov-type agricultural household model. The model analyzes farmers' land allocation decisions, taking into account the lowland–upland dichotomy in the agricultural sector. The empirical findings, corroborated by the analytically derived results, show how technical progress for lowland production affects land use at the forest margins and how these effects depend on the factor-intensity of the technology. The findings imply specific rural development policies for sustainable agricultural intensification in forest frontier areas. 2006-03 2025-01-29T12:59:22Z 2025-01-29T12:59:22Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/172114 en Limited Access Wiley Maertens, Miet; Zeller, Manfred; Birner, Regina. 2006. Sustainable agricultural intensification in forest frontier areas. Agricultural Economics 34(2): 197-206. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1574-0864.2006.00118.x
spellingShingle agricultural growth
households
sustainable development
forests
land
deforestation
erosion
water availability
rice
geographical information systems
land use
rural development
Maertens, Miet
Zeller, Manfred
Birner, Regina
Sustainable agricultural intensification in forest frontier areas
title Sustainable agricultural intensification in forest frontier areas
title_full Sustainable agricultural intensification in forest frontier areas
title_fullStr Sustainable agricultural intensification in forest frontier areas
title_full_unstemmed Sustainable agricultural intensification in forest frontier areas
title_short Sustainable agricultural intensification in forest frontier areas
title_sort sustainable agricultural intensification in forest frontier areas
topic agricultural growth
households
sustainable development
forests
land
deforestation
erosion
water availability
rice
geographical information systems
land use
rural development
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/172114
work_keys_str_mv AT maertensmiet sustainableagriculturalintensificationinforestfrontierareas
AT zellermanfred sustainableagriculturalintensificationinforestfrontierareas
AT birnerregina sustainableagriculturalintensificationinforestfrontierareas