Prophets of Agroforestry Guarani Communities and Commercial Gathering

For almost four centuries, the Chiripa (Guarani) people of eastern Paraguay have maintained themselves as a distinct society, despite continual and often intense relations with Paraguayan society and the international economy. In this study, Richard K. Reed explores the economic and social basis for this ethnic autonomy. Reed finds that Chiripa economic power derives from commercial agroforestry. Unlike Latin American indigenous societies that have been forced to clear land for commercial agriculture, the Chiripa continue to harvest and sell forest products, such as caffeinated yerba mate, without destroying the forests. Reed also explores the relation of this complex economy to Chiripa social organization and shows how flexible kin ties allowed the Chiripa to adapt to the pressures and opportunities of the commercial economy without adopting the authoritarian nature of rural Paraguayan society. These findings offer important insights into the relations among indigenous groups, nation-states, and the international economy. They also provide a timely alternative model for sustainable management of subtropical forests that will be of interest in the fields of development and environmental studies.Reed, Richard K. is the author of 'Prophets of Agroforestry Guarani Communities and Commercial Gathering', published 1995 under ISBN 9780292770676 and ISBN 0292770677.