What Drives Intensification of Land Use at Agricultural Frontiers in the Brazilian Amazon? Evidence from a Decision Game
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Study Site
2.2. Questionnaire and Decision Game
2.2.1. Attributes and Levels
2.2.2. Focal Groups
2.2.3. Game Design and Application
2.2.4. Data Collection
2.3. Decision Analysis
3. Results
3.1. Land-Use Change Decision Trees
3.2. Dispersion Charts
3.3. Evidence from Questionnaires
4. Discussion
5. Conclusions
Supplementary Materials
Author Contributions
Funding
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Site | Producer Group | Quantity Based on CAR ¹ | Drivers of Land Use Change |
---|---|---|---|
Sinop | Large soybean farmers | 25 | Sinop has relatively better infrastructure and is well connected to neighboring municipalities. It is considered a regional reference center for agricultural services and trade. Main land-use change drive is soybean, particularly involving the conversion of pastures to cropland [16,17,52]. |
Large cattle ranchers | 15 | ||
Small agricultural landholders | 946 | ||
Small dairy farmers | 101 | ||
Guarantã do Norte | Large soybean farmers | 4 | Guarantã do Norte is part of a milk-production belt in Mato Grosso. Main land-use change drives are soybean (much of it replacing old pastures) and cattle ranching [17,52]. |
Large cattle ranchers | 25 | ||
Small agricultural landholders | 64 | ||
Small dairy farmers | 499 | ||
Novo Progresso | Large soybean farmers | 3 | Cattle ranching is the main land use in Novo Progresso. Mining and logging, targeting international markets, have expanded recently and became important components of the local economy. Main land-use change drivers are soybean and cattle ranching, in addition to logging and gold mining [17,52]. |
Large cattle ranchers | 163 | ||
Small agricultural landholders | 206 | ||
Small dairy farmers | 1210 |
Scenario | Agricultural Prices | Production Costs | Environmental Inspection Intensity ¹ |
---|---|---|---|
1 | High | Low | High |
2 | High | High | High |
3 | High | Low | Low |
4 | High | High | Low |
5 | Low | Low | High |
6 | Low | High | High |
7 | Low | Low | Low |
8 | Low | High | Low |
Producers’ Groups | % of Total Interviewees | ||
---|---|---|---|
Sinop | Guarantã do Norte | Novo Progresso | |
Large soybean producers | 21% | 5% | 25% |
Large cattle ranchers | 11% | 5% | 55% |
Small agriculturalists | 66% | 25% | 8% |
Small dairy farmers | 2% | 65% | 12% |
Farmers Group (Product) | Current Values ¹ (Brazilian Real) | High Values (Brazilian Real) | Low Values (Brazilian Real) |
---|---|---|---|
Large soybean producers (60 kg sack of soybeans) | 49 (46–60) | 75 (70–81) | 45 (40–55) |
Small agricultural landholders (60 kg sack of soybeans) | 55 (50–55) | 75 (65–80) | 45 (43–48) |
Cattle ranchers (15 kg of beef) | 110 (108–115) | 130 (130–160) | 100 (100–110) |
Small dairy farmers (liter of milk) | 1.10 (100–120) | 1.30 (120–150) | 1.00 (100–110) |
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Nascimento, N.; West, T.A.P.; Börner, J.; Ometto, J. What Drives Intensification of Land Use at Agricultural Frontiers in the Brazilian Amazon? Evidence from a Decision Game. Forests 2019, 10, 464. https://doi.org/10.3390/f10060464
Nascimento N, West TAP, Börner J, Ometto J. What Drives Intensification of Land Use at Agricultural Frontiers in the Brazilian Amazon? Evidence from a Decision Game. Forests. 2019; 10(6):464. https://doi.org/10.3390/f10060464
Chicago/Turabian StyleNascimento, Nathália, Thales A. P. West, Jan Börner, and Jean Ometto. 2019. "What Drives Intensification of Land Use at Agricultural Frontiers in the Brazilian Amazon? Evidence from a Decision Game" Forests 10, no. 6: 464. https://doi.org/10.3390/f10060464