Peasant Rationalities and Practices in the Coffee Sector of the Department of Huila, Colombia

Abstract

We evaluate some current economic and environmental actions of peasant communities in coffee ecosystems of La Plata, Department of Huila, in southwestern Colombia. To this end, we use the methodology of Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA). Also, to analyze the probability that such economic and environmental actions are carried out in the region, we carried out an econometric analysis through Logit models. We find that in the use and control of water and soil in coffee farming, stock water supplies for agricultural activities are more dependent on the management of vegetation cover. Finally, human actions that affect environmental transformations require coffee landscapes and local collective action in each of the knowledge production activities.