Illusions, hunger and vices: smallholders, environmentalism and the green agrarian question in Chiapas’ biofuel rush Antonio Castellanos-Navarrete Thesis committee Promotors Prof. Dr C. Leeuwis Professor of Knowledge, Technology and Innovation Wageningen University Co-promotor Dr C.E.P. Jansen Associate professor, Knowledge, Technology and Innovation Group Wageningen University Other members Prof. Dr B.E. Büscher, Wageningen University Prof. Dr P. Woodhouse, University of Manchester, United Kingdom Prof. Dr J.M. Baud, University of Amsterdam Dr A. Nygren, University of Helsinki, Finland This research was conducted under the auspices of the Wageningen School of Social Science. Illusions, hunger and vices: smallholders, environmentalism and the green agrarian question in Chiapas’ biofuel rush Antonio Castellanos-Navarrete Thesis (cid:86)(cid:88)(cid:69)(cid:80)(cid:76)(cid:87)(cid:87)(cid:72)(cid:71)(cid:3)(cid:76)(cid:81)(cid:3)(cid:73)(cid:88)(cid:79)(cid:633)(cid:79)(cid:80)(cid:72)(cid:81)(cid:87)(cid:3)(cid:82)(cid:73)(cid:3)(cid:87)(cid:75)(cid:72)(cid:3)(cid:85)(cid:72)(cid:84)(cid:88)(cid:76)(cid:85)(cid:72)(cid:80)(cid:72)(cid:81)(cid:87)(cid:86)(cid:3)(cid:73)(cid:82)(cid:85)(cid:3)(cid:87)(cid:75)(cid:72)(cid:3)(cid:71)(cid:72)(cid:74)(cid:85)(cid:72)(cid:72)(cid:3)(cid:82)(cid:73)(cid:3)(cid:71)(cid:82)(cid:70)(cid:87)(cid:82)(cid:85) at Wageningen University (cid:69)(cid:92)(cid:3)(cid:87)(cid:75)(cid:72)(cid:3)(cid:68)(cid:88)(cid:87)(cid:75)(cid:82)(cid:85)(cid:76)(cid:87)(cid:92)(cid:3)(cid:82)(cid:73)(cid:3)(cid:87)(cid:75)(cid:72)(cid:3)(cid:53)(cid:72)(cid:70)(cid:87)(cid:82)(cid:85)(cid:3)(cid:48)(cid:68)(cid:74)(cid:81)(cid:76)(cid:633)(cid:70)(cid:88)(cid:86) Prof. Dr A.P.J. Mol, in the presence of the Thesis Committee appointed by the Academic Board to be defended in public on Wednesday 16 December 2015 at 11 a.m. in the Aula. Antonio Castellanos-Navarrete Illusions, hunger and vices: smallholders, environmentalism and the green agrarian question in Chiapas’ biofuel rush, 224 pages. PhD thesis, Wageningen University, Wageningen, NL (2015) With references, with summaries in English ISBN 978-94-6257-609-4 A mi padre ‘Because we are full of illusions, hunger and vices’ Rural leader on the question of why people plant oil palm Interview, 13 January 2013, Colonia Hidalgo (Villa Comaltitlán) viii Abbreviations CBMM Mesoamerican Biological Corridor - Mexico CONABIO National Commission for Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity CONANP National Commission for Natural Protected Areas IRBIO Institute for Productive Reconversion and Bioenergetics MOCRI Regional Independent Peasant Movement NGOs Nongovernmental organisations PRD Party of the Democratic Revolution PRI Institutional Revolutionary Party PROFEPA (cid:41)(cid:72)(cid:71)(cid:72)(cid:85)(cid:68)(cid:79)(cid:3)(cid:36)(cid:87)(cid:87)(cid:82)(cid:85)(cid:81)(cid:72)(cid:92)(cid:183)(cid:86)(cid:3)(cid:50)(cid:637)(cid:70)(cid:72)(cid:3)(cid:73)(cid:82)(cid:85)(cid:3)(cid:40)(cid:81)(cid:89)(cid:76)(cid:85)(cid:82)(cid:81)(cid:80)(cid:72)(cid:81)(cid:87)(cid:68)(cid:79)(cid:3)(cid:51)(cid:85)(cid:82)(cid:87)(cid:72)(cid:70)(cid:87)(cid:76)(cid:82)(cid:81) RSPO Roundtable of Sustainable Palm Oil SAGARPA Secretary of Agriculture, Cattle, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food UCABED Peasant Union Belisario Domínguez ix Table and illustrations Tables 1. Characterisation of the study regions 2. Class condition of surveyed oil palm growers in Soconusco and the southern Lacandon rainforest 3. Rural producers by type before their shift to oil palm 4. Rural producers by type after their shift to oil palm 5. Net economic returns for mature oil palm in social sector farms in 2012 6. Government agricultural projects in the southern Lacandon region 7. Aboveground carbon stored in biomass used as input for the PalmGHG calculator 8. Average agrochemical inputs per producer type and region 9. Greenhouse gas sources and emissions estimated with the PalmGHG model Figures 1. Maps of the study regions 2. Maps of the study regions in Chiapas 3. Oil palm hectares in Soconusco and southern Lacandon rainforest, 2007 to 2013 4. Land transactions in each study region 5. Crops demanding highest agrochemical usage according to oil palm producers 6. The southern Lacandon rainforest 7. Cattle ownership before and after oil palm cultivation 8. Land use changes to oil palm in Soconusco, in the southern Lacandon rainforest and in the Western NTS 9. Area under oil palm in Soconusco in 2013 10. Area under oil palm in 2013 in the southern Lacandon rainforest and in the Western NTS