Traditional farming systems of south-central Chile,with special emphasis on agroforestry

The paper describes some general structural and functional characteristics of actual Chilean farming systems managed by small farmers (campesinos) with traditional technologies. Campesino farming systems can be divided into two major groups: (a) small-scale (no more than 1 ha) intensive systems with a wide array of tree annual crops and 3–4 animal species per farm; and (b) extensive semi-commercial systems (5–12 ha) composed of diversified combinations of crops and animals designed to increase production, producing a marketable surplus for the local community. In most systems campesinos include trees (whether for food, fodder, wood, construction materials, fuel, etc.) as integrated elements of farm management constituting agro-forestry systems. Understanding these traditional farming systems, and the rationales behind their management is an important first step towards the ultimate development of appropriate agricultural technologies attuned to the ecological and socio-economic circumstances of the Chilean campesinos.