Doctoral Dissertation Research: Changes in tropical forest farming under conditions of rapid socio-ecological restructuring

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Tropical rainforests are being transformed into many different kinds of agricultural production systems. As these forests are transformed so too are the livelihoods people obtain from them. This project explores what factors drive the rainforest cultivation through an agricultural practice known as agroforestry in light of various environmental pressures. This project trains a graduate student in rigorous techniques of scientific, mixed-methods environmental anthropology. This research will contribute to the growing scientific exploration of the role of agroforestry in the livelihood of rural people and maintenance of tropical forests. Project findings will potentially aid environmental and land use policy makers through detailed analysis of agricultural and ecological processes in a region of the world that is of recognized environmental, cultural and political significance.Stanford University doctoral candidate, David Gilbert, advised by Dr. William Durham, will examine how forest farmers have countered competing pressures on their forestlands to create inhabited agroforests. This project uses environmental anthropology methods to better understand this type of working forest, with implications for the social and environmental sustainability of agricultural commodity crop production more generally. As site of globally important agricultural commodity markets and millions of forest farmers Sumatra is an ideal region for the study of agroforestry. Research is focused in two forest farmer settlements in Sumatra's Bukit Barisan mountain range. Both settlements cultivate agroforests that provide a range of valuable commodities. Preliminary data analysis shows that the social ecology of agroforests allows forest farmers flexible integration into global agricultural commodities markets. To better characterize this agroforestry adaptation and practice, Mr. Gilbert will use participant observation, in-depth interviews and an agroecological survey. Ecological changes will be described by constructing a Geographic Informations Systems database of land use. This research will contribute to understanding of the ways rural people respond to political and economic influences, and the ways these responses may drive ecological change.