Smallholder perceptions of agroforestry projects in Panama

Background

Panama’s history of shifting slash-and-burn cultivation methods has resulted in rapid deforestation and declines in land fertility in the latter 20th C with an increased population and increased resource extraction pressures. Agroforestry has been promoted in Central America, initially for fuelwood and then for more diverse usages and supplemental income for smallholders.

Research goals & methods

This study explores the perceived socioeconomic and environmental impacts of five agroforestry projects in Panama. A total of 68 smallholders were administered semi-structured interviews. In addition, 13 agroforestry experts from NGOs, government departments and research institutes were interviewed, and their responses were compared with those of the smallholders. Interviewees reported that while the projects led to an increase in the standard of living by providing wood products and fruit for domestic consumption, farm income levels generally remained unchanged. This was due primarily to limited market development, the lack of marketing organizations and poor access roads. The farmers’ responses suggested a slight decline in slash-and-burn agriculture and an increase in tree planting activities. Some environmental benefits were observed by farmers, including reduced soil erosion, increased soil fertility, and improved quality and quantity of water sources. Nevertheless, slash-and-burn agriculture was still the norm for the majority of farmers. Most farmers continued to harvest wood from primary and secondary growth to meet their domestic wood requirements, rather than relying on trees planted in agroforestry projects.

Conclusions & takeaways

The main obstacles preventing increased agroforestry adoption included insufficient agroforestry extension, poor project design and management, smallholders’ economic constraints, and larger policy limitations. The authors offer recommendations to improve project design and management and to address the economic and policy constraints, focusing on market development for smallholder NTFPs, land tenure clarification, and tree harvest permitting.