Characteristics and Practices of Land Use in the Central Andes of Peru : A Case Study

Abstract

Three major types of land use in Huanuco (central province in Peru) are discussed on the basis of cartographical and socioeconomical data, document reviews, and field surveys. This traditional agricultural region has critical importance for being the gateway for timber transportation from the eastern mountainous tropical forests where also extensive coca plantations forced human emigration, land abandonment, and deforestation. In Peru, ancient agricultural systems still coexist with the intensification of commerce. Property types, rates of land use changes, as well as the use of and the number of farms, are discussed. The type of land use varies periodically among each district within the province. State policies not fully structured indicate a weak understanding of the real needs of the Andean society. From now on they must combine elements of tradition, central planning, and markets.