Abstract
Agroforestry is often cited for its capacity to preserve the environment while also providing sufficient production and income for farmers. This chapter looks at environmentalist pressures in Nicaragua and Costa Rica, both subjected to questions regarding environmental conservation notably in terms of biodiversity, soil erosion, water conservation and forest cover. The objective of our research is to understand how environmentalist pressures influence farmers' strategies. Environmentalist pressures are similar in both countries but their effects are distinct. In Costa Rica, the homogeneity and the strength of the discourse have resulted in a comprehensive environmentalist ideology that applies to a relatively homogenous situation in terms of farming systems and socio-economic level, nonetheless a discrepancy still exists between farmers' discourses and their practices. In Nicaragua, multiple environmentalist pressures apply to a diversity of situations regarding farming systems, socio-economic level and the priorities relevant to the survival of its most precarious inhabitants.