Dissertation Research: Dynamics of Agricultural Intensification in the Buffer Zone of the Maya Biosphere Reserve, Peten, Guatemala

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Avrum J. Shriar University of Florida The doctoral dissertation research will examine the principal socio-economic and agronomic conditions that shape the adoption of intensive agriculture. The project will be sited in the buffer zone of the Maya Biosphere Reserve in Peten, Guatemala. The study will compare farms/households within and between three study areas and will identify influences on intensification that manifest themselves at two scales: the local and regional. In addition, the study will investigate local farmers' knowledge and experimentation in order to discover alternative strategies that may be feasible in the livelihood process. Informal interviews will be obtained and intensification measures will be developed. The work will gather information on technology adoption, land use change and land degradation that will inform theoretical debates.