Land Cover Change in Mixed Agroforestry: Shade Coffee in El Salvador

37 Pages Posted: 24 Sep 2008

See all articles by Allen Blackman

Allen Blackman

Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)

Beatriz Ávalos-Sartorio

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Jeffrey Chow

Resources for the Future

Date Written: September 15, 2008

Abstract

Little is known about land cover change in mixed agroforestry systems, which often supply valuable ecological services. We use a spatial regression model to analyze clearing in El Salvador's shade coffee-growing regions during the 1990s. Our findings buttress previous research suggesting the relationship between proximity to cities and clearing in mixed agroforestry systems is the opposite of that in natural forests. But this result, and several others, depends critically on the characteristics of the growing area, particularly the dominant cleared land use. These findings imply that policies aimed at retaining mixed agroforestry need to be carefully targeted and tailored.

Keywords: agroforestry, shade coffee, land cover, El Salvador, spatial econometrics

JEL Classification: O13, Q15, Q23

Suggested Citation

Blackman, Allen and Ávalos-Sartorio, Beatriz and Chow, Jeffrey, Land Cover Change in Mixed Agroforestry: Shade Coffee in El Salvador (September 15, 2008). RFF Discussion Paper No. 08-30, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1272669 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1272669

Allen Blackman (Contact Author)

Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) ( email )

1300 New York Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20577
United States

Beatriz Ávalos-Sartorio

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Jeffrey Chow

Resources for the Future ( email )

1616 P Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036
United States

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