A Scoping Review of Deforestation for Agricultural Expansion over the Last 25 Years: Farmers’ Motivations

Forests face significant pressures from human activities, mainly through deforestation and land-use changes driven by agricultural expansion. This study aims to conduct a literature review to identify and analyze the primary factors that have driven farmers to engage in deforestation and agricultural expansion over the past 25 years. The review followed the methodology proposed by Arksey and O’Malley, with an initial broad search followed by article selection and exclusion. The analysis of the results revealed interacting factors with varying intensities by region, extending to different levels. At the demographic level, factors such as gender, age, household composition, and education play a significant role. At the social level, factors are mainly related to migration, population growth, and the phenomenon of “imitation”. At the economic level, poverty, unemployment, the need for supplementary income, and the growing demand for cash crops are key drivers of agricultural expansion in forests. At the political level, state licensing of deforestation, either as part of poverty reduction strategies or to meet market demand, and the inability to impose sanctions, reinforce deforestation for agricultural cultivation. Finally, at the environmental level, factors such as climate change and soil fertility decline constitute another critical area of pressure on forest ecosystems.