POVERTY AND PROSPERITY AMONG MIGRANT SETTLERS IN THE AMAZON RAIN-FOREST FRONTIER OF ECUADOR

Household-level interview data from a probability sample survey conduc ted in the northeastern Ecuadorian Amazon in 1990 are used to examine the determinants of income and assets among migrant farmers in the agr icultural frontier: Multivariate analysis indicates that size of plot owned, proximity to markets, duration of residence, quality of soil, r eceipt of technical assistance, off-farm employment and initial wealth positively influence current household income and wealth. More land i n cattle pasture is also associated with higher status. Some settlers are prospering relative to others despite variable soil quality, unsus tainable land uses, geographic isolation, apparent scarcity of label; and lack of supportive infrastructure. The article closes with a discu ssion of implications for policies to assist small farmers, with some consideration of the potential ecological consequences of farmers' act ivities.