Assessing potential response changes in the system of diverse, limited-resource farm households in Carchi, Ecuador: Modeling livelihood strategies using participatory methods and linear programming

In this dissertation, concepts and frameworks from peasant economic theory, gender analysis and farming systems research were used in combination with linear programming to assess the potential response to changes in the livelihood system of diverse, limited-resource farm households. The site selected for this study is located in the northern Ecuadorian Andes, in the province of Carchi. In order to gain a better understanding of the factors influencing household decision-making processes and to describe the livelihood system of the small farmers of the area, this study examined the farming system, the economic system, and the socio-cultural organizational system of farmers in the area.; Households were grouped by their stage in the family life cycle and household composition into five different types of households. Each household type is analyzed and relationships are examined among variables affecting the decisions made by farmers regarding their livelihood strategies.; Linear programing models were constructed with information from ethnographic and participatory tools to simulate fifty-seven households included in the study. Three different kinds of potential changes to the livelihood system were evaluated. First, a knitting activity made available to the women was introduced; second, an alternative crop, onion, is assessed. Finally, the potential impact of a health initiative that would decrease the average number of sick days of household members is assessed. From the three alternatives tested the health and sanitation initiative was the one that made the most significant improvement. Results showed that the total discretionary cash at the end of the year for all the fifty-seven households increased by 24% when compared to the onion and knitting alternatives and by 33% when compared to the original simulations. It was also found that in all scenarios households with higher discretionary cash per person have fewer children and more adult male labor. This indicates the importance of considering household composition when analyzing the impacts of proposed alternatives in livelihood systems where labor availability and cash resources are important constraints.; The methodology used in this dissertation, which combines participatory methods with linear programming models to simulate small farmers' livelihood system, is proposed as a methodology for ex-ante evaluation of alternative technologies and policies.