Social relations of land and fertilizer use and frontier integration : upland rice in the Llanos Orientales of Colombia

This report discusses the land management and fertilizer practices of upland rice farmers in the Meta Piedmont of Colombia"s Llanos Orientales region and suggests that researchers consider socioeconomic differences when designing new agricultural technologies. To develop a broad social framework for research into rice and phosphorus fertilizers, the report first discusses the importance of rice as a crop in Latin America and the social dynamic by which frontier lands are integrated into commercial agricultural production. Next, field sites and research methodologies are described in detail, followed by a brief social history of rice farming in the Meta Piedmont which places in context the data on farmer types, land management, and fertilizer use. The field research showed that Meta upland rice production was fully integrated with national commercial agricultural institutions, including agricultural research and technology delivery systems. However, within the domain of commercial agriculture, class differences - as indicated by area of rice planted - exist regarding access to appropriate upland rice soils, tenure relations, and soil management practices. A final section discusses the implications of these findings for future phosphorus fertilizer research on upland rice.