LIVESTOCK, DEFORESTATION, AND POLICY-MAKING - INTENSIFICATION OF CATTLE PRODUCTION SYSTEMS IN CENTRAL-AMERICA REVISITED

Objectives were to analyze arguments that extensive cattle production causes deforestation in Central America and to evaluate trade-offs amo ng policy objectives implied by intensification of cattle production. Intensification of cattle systems is unlikely to alter dramatically th e deforestation rates in Central America because consumer demand for l ivestock products is principal factor motivating migration to forest a reas. 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 promo te 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 intensif ication, and the trade-offs between objectives of producers and policy makers. Depending on the policy tradeoffs, intensification of existin g production systems, such as the dual purpose system, may be preferab le to substitution of specialized technologies from temperate countrie s. More information is required about production possibilities, social impacts, and the trade-offs among various strata of farmers and consu mers to formulate better livestock policies for Central America.