Ciclos de vida de la propiedad y del hogar, mercados y cambios en el uso y la cobertura de la tierra en la Amazonia brasileña

Abstract

Settlements on the edge of the Brazilian Amazon were characterized, in their early stages, by intensive migration flows, deforestation and property rotation. After 40 years, rural households are more market-oriented and have developed strategies to adapt to the local environment. On the basis of household demography and bid rent theories, this work proposes a conceptual framework for changes in land use and land cover on the agricultural frontier, looking at the interactive relationships between life cycles of properties and households, notwithstanding the way property has been used historically. Using data gathered from longitudinal surveys carried out in Altamira (Brazil), it was found that the oldest households (household life cycle) and the properties closest to urban centres (integration into markets) were associated with greater levels of deforestation, although there was no evidence that the interaction with the agricultural environment (property life cycle) reduced pressure on the remaining forestland. With regard to land use for commercial activities, invested capital and distance to markets were dominant demographic markers, suggesting that Altamira is in an advanced stage of development.