Amazon Interactive
Coffee and Conservation

You chose to maintain your current fields: 2 hectares of coffee on secondary forest 1 hectare of cacao on secondary forest 1 hectare of maize on secondary forest

Map of your 15 hectare plot of land

You earned only $220--due to dropping coffee prices and low yields. That's not enough for your family to live on. You have to borrow money from your brother, promising to pay him back after next year's harvest.

You've still got six hectares of primary forest left, but you're beginning to realize that you'll soon run out of it. In a few years, you'll have to plant all your crops in secondary forest--or find another line of work besides farming. Some people in your Quichua community are talking about ecotourism. Instead of farming more land, the community can earn money by bringing in tourists and teaching them about the Quichua way of life. Do you think the community should consider ecotourism? Or would you like to start over with your cash crops?