Natural resource collection and desired family size:a longitudinal test of environment-population theories

Abstract Theories relating the changing environment to human fertility predict thatdeclining natural resources may actually increase the demand for children. Unfortunately,most previous empirical studies have been limited to cross-sectional designs that limit ourability to understand links between processes that change over time.We take advantage oflongitudinal measurement spanning more than a decade of change in the natural environment,household agricultural behaviors, and individual fertility preferences to reexaminethis question. Using fixed effect models, we find that women experiencing increasing timerequired to collect firewood to heat and cook or fodder to feed animals (the dominant needsfor natural resources in this setting) increased their desired family size, even as many othermacro-level changes have reduced desired family size. In contrast to previous, crosssectionalstudies, we find no evidence of such a relationship for men. Our findingsregarding time spent collecting firewood are also new. These results support the Bviciouscircle^ perspective and economic theories of fertility pointing to the value of children forhousehold labor. This feedback from natural resource constraint to increased fertility is animportant mechanism for understanding long-term environmental change.Keywords Fertility.Natural resourceuse .Fodder. Firewood.Nepal . Intentions.Familysiz