Cristian Vasco

The drivers of market integration among indigenous peoples: Evidence from the ecuadorian Amazon

ABSTRACT Knowledge of the driving forces behind indigenous participation in the market is essential for practitioners intending to integrate conservation and development policies in indigenous territories. Nevertheless, empirical research on the determinants of market integration among indigenous peoples is still scarce. This article uses household survey data and multivariate techniques to examine the drivers of market integration among indigenous groups in the Ecuadorian Amazon. We use multiple measures of market integration, including the sale of crops, timber, and wildlife; the use of credit; and participation in wage labor. The results show that the way in which indigenous peoples integrate into the market depends on their endowments of human, financial, and physical capital. More educated households are able to engage in commercial agriculture and nonagricultural wage work, whereas uneducated poor households in communities in conflict with outsiders are pushed to engage in poorly paid agricultural wage work and (often illegal) timber operations.

Determinants of Wild Fish Consumption in Indigenous Communities in the Ecuadorian Amazon

Abstract This paper analyzes the socioeconomic determinants of consumption of wild fish among the Kichwa and Shuar indigenous peoples in the Ecuadorian Amazon. The results of a random-effect linear model show that the consumption of wild fish is higher for households with younger heads that do not have off-farm work and reside far from urban centers, in communities with low population densities. Although various actors promoting aquaculture in the region often claim that it helps to relieve the pressure on wild fish stocks, no statistically significant effect of the consumption of cultivated fish on the consumption of wild fish could be shown. Thus, our analysis suggests that public policies and development interventions which increase access to off-farm employment can both improve local livelihoods and conserve biodiversity, but that the same affirmation cannot be made for the promotion of aquaculture.

Determinants of non-farm employment and non-farm earnings in Ecuador: Cristian Vasco and Grace Natalie Tamayo

This article analyses the determinants of both participation in non-farm employment and nonfarm earnings in Ecuador. Using the Dubin-McFadden two-step estimation method, the results show that women are more likely than men to engage in non-farm self-employment but earn significantly less than men employed in the non-farm sector. Non-farm wage employment is a common choice among more educated individuals in landless households, while farm wage employment seems to be the only source of employment for uneducated landless people. Participation in non-farm work is more likely in areas located near medium-sized cities with dynamic economies. Finally, there are regional differences in employment patterns which appear to be associated with both the availability and the quality of land. This information is relevant in relation both to rural population growth and to the continuous process of land fragmentation in rural Ecuador.