Development practitioners and policymakers often posit that promoting cash crop expansion to generate rural employment has the potential to alleviate poverty and improve food security. Focusing upon the recent expansion of oil palm production in the northern lowlands of Guatemala, we critically evaluate this claim. To do so, we draw upon survey data collected in two neighbouring villages – one where oil palm is the main land use, another where maize and secondary forest are prevalent – to investigate how the expanding cultivation of the cash crop shapes local food access and rural livelihoods. We find that oil palm has improved food access for some households with oil palm employment. However, number of beneficiaries is relatively small and the practice does not lift them from the ranks of the food insecure. For most households in the village where oil palm is prevalent, the ability to access food has decreased, as the expansion of oil palm has displaced staple grain production and eliminated relatively more inclusive forms of agricultural employment. In contrast, households from the village where staple maize production remains predominant are notably more food secure. We conclude that, in the absence of deep changes that address the underlying causes of widespread vulnerability in Guatemala’s northern lowlands, the self-provisioning of maize and other staples will continue to serve as a cornerstone of food security, while the promotion of cash crops like oil palm will exacerbate inequalities in households’ ability to access food.

中文翻译：

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粮食安全的商业农业？危地马拉北部油棕开发案例

发展从业者和政策制定者通常认为，促进经济作物种植以创造农村就业机会具有减轻贫困和改善粮食安全的潜力。关注最近危地马拉北部低地油棕产量的扩大，我们批判性地评估了这一说法。为此，我们利用在两个邻近村庄收集的调查数据——一个以油棕为主要土地用途，另一个以玉米和次生林盛行——来调查经济作物的扩大种植如何影响当地的粮食获取和农村生计。我们发现油棕改善了一些有油棕就业的家庭的食物获取。然而，受益者的人数相对较少，这种做法并没有使他们脱离粮食不安全的行列。对于油棕盛行的村庄中的大多数家庭来说，获取食物的能力已经下降，因为油棕的扩张取代了主粮生产并消除了相对更具包容性的农业就业形式。相比之下，来自主食玉米生产仍然占主导地位的村庄的家庭的粮食安全明显更高。我们得出的结论是，在没有解决危地马拉北部低地普遍脆弱性的根本原因的深刻变化的情况下，玉米和其他主食的自我供应将继续作为粮食安全的基石，而促进经济作物如油棕将加剧家庭获取食物能力的不平等。因为油棕的扩张取代了主粮生产并消除了相对更具包容性的农业就业形式。相比之下，主要玉米生产仍占主导地位的村庄家庭的粮食安全明显更高。我们得出的结论是，在没有解决危地马拉北部低地普遍脆弱性的根本原因的深刻变化的情况下，玉米和其他主食的自我供应将继续作为粮食安全的基石，而促进经济作物如油棕将加剧家庭获取食物能力的不平等。因为油棕的扩张取代了主粮生产并消除了相对更具包容性的农业就业形式。相比之下，来自主食玉米生产仍然占主导地位的村庄的家庭的粮食安全明显更高。我们得出的结论是，在没有解决危地马拉北部低地普遍脆弱性的根本原因的深刻变化的情况下，玉米和其他主食的自我供应将继续作为粮食安全的基石，而促进经济作物如油棕将加剧家庭获取食物能力的不平等。