Labor access and unequal land holdings among peasant farmers in a lowland and upland community of the Peruvian Amazon

Researchers recognize the need to better understand the factors influencing indigenous land use in order to design sustainable tropical forest management programs. A key relationship that has been long overlooked in peasant societies is the one between communal labor access through social networks and land acquisition/accumulation. This study examines land distribution and labor patterns in traditional agriculture of a lowland and a upland community on the Maranon River near Iquitos, Peru. Data were gathered through household interviews (n=76) and field visits (n=396) between June and November 2001. Results reveal marked variations in access to land and communal labor between and within communities. Household age, initial land wealth and initial inputs of labor are crucial in explaining land and labor inequalities within villages. This research contributes to a better understanding of the factors that give rise to local heterogeneity in wealth holdings and livelihood strategies, necessary tools to promote conservation throughout the region and beyond