Tree Management and Balancing Process Among Panamanian Farmers

Latin American cattle ranchers have long been depicted as one of the major perpetrators of deforestation. A new conceptualization of Chayanov’s Theory of Peasant Economy is employed to understand ranchers’ perceptions of tree management in Panama. Chayanov’s theory proposes that the family farm is governed by a balance of decisions farmers make between the utility of producing one more item, with the drudgery of producing that item. Farm visits and interviews with 54 Panamanian farmers indicates that trees are actively maintained as part of the utility–drudgery balancing process. These findings suggest that rather than seeing cattle ranchers as perpetrators of deforestation, more research that considers the benefits and tradeoffs farmers confront with tree management could promote productive partnerships among parties invested in farmers’ livelihoods and forest conservation.