Tropentag, September 20 - 22, 2017 in Bonn "Future Agriculture: Social-ecological transitions and bio-cultural shifts"

Incentives for the Implementation of Agroforestry Concessions: Experiences from Communities in the Peruvian Amazon

¹Technische Universität Dresden, Inst. of International Forestry and Forest Products: Tropical Forestry, Germany
²Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Dept. for Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, Germany
³Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala, Biology School/ Dept. of Ecology, Guatemala

Abstract

Agroforestry concession is an important policy instrument to combat deforestation in the Peruvian Amazon. It authorises small and medium farmers to access in a sustainable way to forest and natural resources, in forest production or protection areas that present some degree of disturbance. The Forestry and Wildlife Law and its Regulation have established activities to support agroforestry systems and forest plantations in the context of agroforestry concessions. As the uptake of agroforestry concessions depends on farmers' decisions, incentive systems have to be adjusted to fit local sustainable production systems and farmers' preferences. This study seeks to identify and assess policy options that function as incentives for the effective implementation of agroforestry concessions according to their objectives as specified in the FWL and RFWL. It was carried out in the communities of Marisol, La Primavera, Nueva Esperanza and Gran Pajaten, in the province of Mariscal Caceres, San Martin department. 86 key stakeholders at the national, regional/local, and farm level provided crucial information through discussion meetings, individual interviews, and workshops. A SWOT analysis was applied in order to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of agroforestry concessions as well as strategic actions for its implementation. The interviews allowed to identify 19 incentives, which can be grouped as follows: research and extension services, administrative procedures, infrastructure and basic services, market development and financial mechanisms. The results of the research confirm that there are important differences between the political levels. Institutional stakeholders at both levels (national and regional/local) are more concerned in facilitating the process of access to agroforestry concessions because directly affects the implementation of this instrument. In contrast, the proposed incentives by farmers respond to the current needs and limitations on what they have on their daily basis. Taking into account the growing market in agroforestry products, agroforestry concessions offer strong potential for sustainable development in Peru and other tropical countries. However, as the study shows, implementation depends on the institutional setting, policy environment and social, economic and environmental conditions of farmers.Further studies are necessary to explore similarities and differences for a successful implementation in other parts of Peru and other countries.

Keywords: Agroforestry concession, incentives, Peruvian amazon, policy instruments

Contact Address: Nicolas Jose Mesia Rojas, Technische Universität Dresden, Inst. of International Forestry and Forest Products: Tropical Forestry, Dresden, Germany, e-mail: n.mesia.rojasgmail.com