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Morris, Katlyn S.

Plant and Soil Science

2013

Ph. D.

This dissertation focuses on agricultural management practices and food security for small-scale -coffee farming households in an organic coffee cooperative in western El Salvador. While most efforts to improve the livelihoods and environmental practices of coffee farmers focus exclusively on the coffee crop, my research focuses on food crops, primarily maize and beans. I examine the political, economic, ecological, and historical underpinnings and implications of current food crop management regimes, as well as the contribution of food crops and income from coffee sales to household food security and livelihoods. Semi-structured household surveys and focus groups with the 29 cooperative members over a two-year period showed that 97% of households faced annual seasonal food shortages. The two most common proximate causes of food shortages were lack of income-generating opportunities to buy food and insufficient production of staple food crops. It is clear that small-scale coffee farmers seek to maintain a balance between coffee, which provides income, and food crops, which provide staple food. Livelihood and income diversification are important coping strategies that should be supported; however, we conclude that efforts to address food insecurity in coffee regions require deeper structural changes to support peasant farmers.
Results also indicate that a combination of environmental, economic, social and political factors have motivated peasant farmers to manage subsistence crops with agrochemicals, alongside certified organic coffee. The environmental requirements of coffee are distinct, where coffee in a diverse shaded agroecosystem responds better to low-input management than maize grown on steep slopes in nutrient-poor soil. In addition, there are no direct economic incentives for subsistence farmers to manage food crops organically, while the benefit of a price premium does exist for organic coffee. Finally, institutional support for agriculture encourages organic production for export crops and generally overlooks subsistence farming. Data show that half of farmers lost money on their food plots, with agrochemicals representing the largest cost, suggesting that small-scale farmers need support in transitioning to more economically and environmentally sustainable farming practices. Agrochemical dependence has undermined local food security and long-term sustainapility.
This research suggests that finding the right combination of agroecological practices, including barriers for sediment capture and cover cropping, while potentially keeping some conventional methods, could increase the economic and productive viability of grain production in this region. The broader implications of this research include that promoting fertilizer use for poor smallholders in developing countries may be an inappropriate solution for long term economic and environmental sustainability. This case shows that, while farmers enjoyed initial yield increases with fertilizer use, this has not proved to be an effective strategy for maintaining yields in the long term. Instead, ecologically-based, low-input practices are better suited to the needs of smallholders, which requires the redirecting of priorities and funding of extension programs and international agencies.