Ir. P.C. Roebeling : Expansion of cattle ranching in Latin America

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16 Sep 2003 13:30
Unit: Wageningen University
Location: Aula (gebouw 362), Gen. Foulkesweg 1, Wageningen
Promotor: prof.dr. A. Kuyvenhoven (Development Economics)
Co Promotor: dr. R. Ruben

 It’s widely recognized that cattle ranching in Latin America occupies the major part of the agricultural area, that pasture expansion in favor of cattle ranching is the principal cause of deforestation, and that the conversion of forest into pasture has important environmental consequences. The expansion of cattle ranching is attributed to the characteristics of cattle ranching, the increased demand for beef products, government policies, land speculation, and resource degradation. Most arguments are, however, qualitative and incomplete. It’s unclear why beef production increased despite the continuous decrease in beef prices. Also, the role of land speculation and resource degradation in deforestation is only qualitatively and sparsely dealt with. This study aims at improving the understanding of investment and resource use decisions of cattle ranchers in Latin America. An analytical framework is developed that enables the quantitative appraisal of factors that are considered to have contributed to the expansion of cattle ranching.
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