AN EVALUATION OF AGRICULTURAL ADOPTION BY NGÖBE FARMERS IN CHALITE, PANAMÁ By: Russell Slatton submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE IN FORESTRY MICHIGAN TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY 2004 The thesis “An Evaluation of Agricultural Adoption by Ngöbe Farmers in Chalite, Panamá “ is hereby approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE IN FORESTRY. School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science Signatures: Advisor:_______________________________________ Blair D. Orr Dean:________________________________________ Margaret R. Gale Date: _________________________________ ii TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES………………………………………………………………... iv LIST OF TABLES …………………………………………………….………....... vii PREFACE………………………………………………………………………...... ix ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS………………………………………………………... x CHAPTER 1 - INTRODUCTION……………………………………………........ 1 CHAPTER 2 - Background........................................................................................ 4 Panamá at a Glance……………………………………………………….... 4 Comarca Ngöbe-Buglé and Bocas del Toro (Nö-Kribo)………………….. 15 Chalite…………………………………………………………………........ 25 CHAPTER 3 - TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION LITERATURE REVIEW ………... 37 CHAPTER 4 - METHODOLOGY............................................................................ 48 Stage I………………………………………………………………………. 48 Stage II……………………………………………………………………... 51 CHAPTER 5 - CHALITE AND PATRONATO DE NUTRICIÓN 59 Local Farm Systems………………………………………………………... 59 The Patronato Farm ……………………………………………………....... 74 CHAPTER 6 - ADOPTION OF AGRICULTUAL TECHNOLOGIES IN CHALITE......................................................................................... 99 Adoption of Individual Agricultural Technologies……….………………...... 99 Adoption Overview………..……………………………………………….. 121 CHAPTER 7 - CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS: GO SMALL OR THEY WILL GO FISHING................................... 126 LITERATURE CITED…………………………………………………………….. 132 iii LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE 1. Map of Central America………………………………………….…… 5 FIGURE 2. General map of Panamá………….…………………………...……….. 11 FIGURE 3. Comarca regions map …………………………………………...…… 19 FIGURE 4. Political Map of the comarca …………. ………………………..……. 21 FIGURE 5 Guariviara Region, Panamá ……………………………………....…… 26 FIGURE 6. Sketch map of Chalite, Panamá ……………………………………….. 27 FIGURE 7. Little meris (women) wearing nagwas …………………………….….. 29 FIGURE 8. Teachers at the school………... ……………………………………….. 30 FIGURE 9. Our boat carrying supplies upriver ……………………..…………….. 31 FIGURE 10. A kept path to the river……... ………………………………………... 32 FIGURE 11. Rancho in the back of a house………………………………..……….. 34 FIGURE 12. Water tank of Chalite…….. ………………...………………………… 34 FIGURE 13. Slash and mulch system for corn ……………………………………... 36 FIGURE 14. Household of the farmer ………….……………………………….… 61 FIGURE 15. Farmer selling pifa ………………………………………………..….. 63 FIGURE 16. Farm with bananas and trees overhead ……………………………….. 66 FIGURE 17. Border between two farms …………………..………………………… 66 FIGURE 18. Woman using a shovel to dig up ñame (yam) ………………………… 67 FIGURE 19. Totuma palm on fire at edge of new area to plant rice ………………... 69 FIGURE 20. Woman winnowing rice …………………………………………..…... 70 FIGURE 21. Slash and burn hillside farming ……...……………………………….. 71 FIGURE 22. Rainfall and agricultural calendar of Bocas del Toro …………..…….. 72 iv FIGURE 23. Kate and I standing in the farm overlooking Chalite …………...…….. 77 FIGURE 24. Sketch map of the Patronato Farm program in Chalite ………..…….... 79 FIGURE 25. Men learning how to use an A-frame in Alto Guayabo ………..…….. 81 FIGURE 26. Experiment with canavalia intercropped with rice ………………..….. 82 FIGURE 27. Rhizobium nodules found on canavalia roots ………………..……….. 83 FIGURE 28. View of rice tank in the Patronato farm in Chalite ………………….. 84 FIGURE 29. Line of pineapple in a farm ………….………………………………... 84 FIGURE 30. Chicken coop in Dudori…………... ………………………………….. 86 FIGURE 31. Duck pond in the Patronato farm, Chalite ……………………...…….. 86 FIGURE 32. Fish pond ……………………………………….…………………….. 87 FIGURE 33. Fish harvest for one family……….. ………………………………….. 87 FIGURE 34. Pigs in the pen…………………….. ………………………………….. 88 FIGURE 35. Pipe from pig pen leading to fish tank ………………….…………….. 88 FIGURE 36. Teak plantation in Caño Sucio ………………….…………………….. 89 FIGURE 37. Area cleared to plant banana in the Patronato farm in Chalite ……….. 90 FIGURE 38. Patronato buying banana seed to plant in the farm ………………….... 90 FIGURE 39. Area on farm weeded for coffee trees ………….…………………….. 91 FIGURE 40. Manioc growing in lines with compost around stems ……………….. 92 FIGURE 41. Dachin (taro root) growing in the Patronato farm ……………………. 93 FIGURE 42. Raised garden beds to grow beans, cucumber, and tomatoes………… 93 FIGURE 43. Kate and Willy raising cucumber vines up off the ground …………... 94 FIGURE 44. Small tree nursery made at the school …………………………….….. 95 FIGURE 45. Drainage ditch at the Patronato farm ……………………………...….. 95 v FIGURE 46. Patronato province leader Irving Candadero and area ………………… 96 technical leader Alfredo Guerra visiting the farm FIGURE 47. Farm activities chart……………… ………………………………….. 98 FIGURE 48. A Ngöbe chicken hideaway ………………………………………….. 107 FIGURE 49. Pig pen made of bamboo for a pregnant pig ………………………..... 111 FIGURE 50. An overgrown coffee nursery grown for Patronato …………………. 115 FIGURE 51. Old bowl used as a seed starter ……………………………………….. 120 vi LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Interview Questions- Household characteristics………………...………53 Table 2. Interview Questions - Farm Characteristics ………………..…...………54 Table 3. Interview Questions - Agricultural Technology Questions.………..… 55 Table 4. Example of SAS output data………………...………………………… 57 Table 5. Extension Agent Questions………………….……………...………… 57 Table 6. List of Crops grown on an average farm near the river………..……… 64 Table 7. List of agricultural technologies observed on the………………………. 80 Patronato farm in Chalite Table 8. Agricultural chemicals used in the Patronato farm program………..… 85 Table 9. Selected variables correlated with adoption of contours….…….….… 99 Table 10. Selected variables correlated with adoption of manures. ……...……… 101 Table 11. Selected variables correlated with adoption of pineapple management. 103 Table 12. Selected variables correlated with adoption of agricultural chemicals... 105 Table 13. Selected variables correlated with adoption of chicken coops…...…... 105 Table 14. Selected variables correlated with adoption of duck pens…………… 107 Table 15. Selected variables correlated with adoption of fishponds…………..… 109 Table 16. Selected variables correlated with adoption of pig pens...…………… 110 Table 17. Selected variables correlated with adoption of non-native tree species..112 Table 18. Selected variables correlated with adoption of banana management…. 113 Table 19. Selected variables correlated with adoption of coffee management…... 114 Table 20. Selected variables correlated with the adoption ………………………. 116 of manioc management Table 21. Selected variables correlated with adoption of taro root management.. 117 vii Table 22. Selected variables correlated with adoption of gardens…….……….… 118 Table 23. Selected variables correlated with adoption of nurseries….…….……. 119 Table 24. Selected variables correlated with adoption of drainage……...……… 120 Table 25. Farmers adoption of agricultural technologies………………......….... 119 Table 26. Positive indicators of adoption………………......……....................… 123 Table 27. Negative indicators of adoption………………......……....................…124 viii PREFACE I remember climbing through the mountains in Mendicino County as a young boy. I had my knife on my hip and a small bag with food in it. The knife was one of those Rambo knives with a compass on the bottom end. You could unscrew the bottom to find fishing lines and hooks. I would hike around fishing for small brook trout and after a long day, walk home and sleep in my tent outside. I have always liked to be outside and luckily, unlike my father and his father, I was not meant to be a Civil Engineer. ix ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I dedicate this paper to my grandfather, Donald Silveria, who passed away while I was serving my Peace Corps service in Panama. He encouraged me as Kid Karaoke and I will forever be in debt for his strength. I would like to express my gratitude to the many people who have helped me on my way. Blair Orr, my advisor, has been a source of uncanny wit, strength, and knowledge. Without Blair reminding me that I could stay another semester, I would never have finished. I thank the Peace Corps staff and fellow researcher Jason Cochran for his encouragement. I especially thank the community of Chalite. Forever, I will be known in Panamá as Chodi. I have learned much from them and can only hope my paper will help in some small way. I wish to thank all my friends and family who have supported me and wondered what exactly I was doing and I would like to tell my wife Kate Lincoln, I am lucky to have a partner like you. x CHAPTER 1 – INTRODUCTION "I like it here, I want to live here all my life and be a farmer. I am free here and can do what I want. People do not kill each other here, and I always have a home. My family is here, and so no, I do not want to work in the city. I want to stay here, in Chalite for all of my life". A moment in time as I sit on my small porch talking to a seventeen year old boy. I have asked him about life here in Chalite. Does he like it? Does he want to stay here? I tell him I find the life hard. Always backbreaking