Sustainable Agriculture and the Environment in the Humid Tropics

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Sustainable Agriculture and the Environment in the HUMID TROPICS

AGRICULTURE

Some large-scale agriculture projects and the consequent clearing of large tracts of land have been of importance in the Mexican tropics. The only extensive agricultural system involved in discussions of deforestation is shifting agriculture. However, it should not be assumed that shifting agriculture is a cause in deforestation; rather, it should be considered a silvicultural technique when it is practiced under the appropriate conditions (for details see Gómez-Pompa et al., 1991; Ramakrishnan, 1984). Shifting cultivators who have ample knowledge of local conditions and species, skilled labor, and a commitment to long-term maintenance of their families and communities may also play a key role in the implementation of sustainable resource management practices.

INTENSIVE COMMERCIAL AGRICULTURE

Intensive commercial agriculture plays a minor role in deforestation when one considers the total land area covered. It typically involves commercial farming—usually perennial bush and tree crops—on permanent fields (Denevan, 1982). The major crops grown on these fields include coffee, cacao, rubber, sugarcane, pineapple, cotton, coconut, and mango. During the late 1800s, considerable areas were cleared for henequen (a fiber used to make binder twine). The amount of land used to grow avocado, melon, pineapple, watermelon, coconut, lemon, mango, orange, and banana was 372 ha in 1970 and 503 ha in 1980. Total production of these crops was 3.98 and 6.32 million metric tons in 1970 and 1980, respectively.

TIMBER EXPLOITATION

The valuable tropical woods of Mexico have already been largely depleted. For example, only in the remote and inaccessible areas—which are rarely found—is it possible to find mahogany. The contribution of timber exploitation to deforestation is not so much from the select logging of valuable trees as from the roads timber exploitation creates and the secondary damage that results from harvesting the desired species. Therefore, the starting point of deforestation is timber extraction, which is followed by the clearing of the remaining trees for agricultural fields by incoming landless peasants. These fields eventually become grasslands or secondary forests.

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