A Dynamic and Stochastic Analysis of Fertilizer Use in Swidden Agriculture

The frequency with which a crop can be harvested on a cleared parcel of forest land (CPFL) before this land must be fallowed depends in part on the decision to use or not to use fertilizers to improve soil fertility. Therefore, we first construct a mathematical model of fertilizer use by a shifting cultivator when this cultivator can decide whether or not to improve soil fertility by using fertilizers. Second, we study two different policies (fertilizer use and no fertilizer use) for overseeing the problem of soil fertility impairment on the CPFL. Third, we identify a specific probability function and we demonstrate that whether the problem of soil fertility deterioration is best addressed with a fertilizer use policy or with a no fertilizer use policy depends fundamentally on this probability function