Household demographic composition and land use dynamics in Machadinho d’Oeste, Rondônia: evidence from the frontier onset

Abstract

Previous studies have found evidence of the importance of changes in household composition to explain land use choices in agricultural frontiers. Most of these studies, however, analyze these dynamics at later stages of the frontier development, rendering mixed evidence on the role of population drivers. This study examines the effects of household demographic composition (household life cycle) and time on property (property life cycle) on land use dynamics in small farms at Machadinho d’Oeste, Rondônia. Based on a unique dataset covering the agricultural frontier since its onset, the study analyzes these effects when their association with land cover dynamics is most likely. Data collected in 1987 and 1995 for a census survey regarding settlers on the original settlement area was used for the study. The relationship between cycles and types of land use was analyzed and modelled by means of Beta and Dirichlet regression models. A consistent relation between family labor supply and deforested stock was observed with regards to rural property. Time on the property was also associated with deforestation, although its non-linear effect suggests experimentation with the local biophysical environment. The effect of the life cycle and of the lot are self-determined in the initial stages of frontier development, indicating the relevance of the demographic dynamics of households for land use choices in agricultural frontiers.

Keywords
Machadinho d’Oeste; Brazilian Amazon; Agricultural frontier; Household life cycle; Property life cycle; Deforestation