Bolivia currently faces major challenges related not only to poverty reduction and social inequality, but also to food and nutrition security. Although the national constitution promotes the right to healthy food, according to the World Food Programme (WFP), 1.8 million Bolivians currently do not consume enough food and many children under the age of five suffer from anaemia (53.7%), acute malnutrition (2%) and chronic malnutrition (16%). According to the WFP’s World Hunger Map, Bolivia has a “moderately high” risk of food insecurity due, among other factors, to its climate vulnerability and political situation. Furthermore, Bolivia is one of the 15 countries with the highest risk of food security deterioration worldwide.
One of the factors contributing to food insecurity is undoubtedly low agricultural production: in Bolivia, between 35% and 50% of agricultural land is degraded, mainly due to traditional agricultural techniques that are not very resilient and poor crop diversification. According to the FAO, over 60% of the population “lives and produces in this degraded environment”, demonstrating the vulnerability of the Bolivian population to food insecurity.
Soil degradation is reflected in the low yields that characterise the country’s agricultural production and in its growing dependence on imported food, both fresh and processed. Over the last ten years, imports of traditional foods have increased by 54% and, currently, fresh food production covers only about 62% of domestic market demand, with the remaining 38% covered by imports (Tito and Wanderley, 2021). This difference is due to numerous economic and social factors, including the limited entrepreneurial capacity of local businesses and reduced access to credit funds to start up businesses.
The specific objective of the project is to introduce a resilient agricultural production model that improves the nutrition of rural communities and has a positive impact on their income.
In particular, this will be achieved through three intermediate results:
R.1 Families and small food producers in the intervention area start or strengthen agricultural activities, adopting practices for the diversification of primary production.
R.2 Associated producer groups and individual small rural entrepreneurs increase their revenues by accessing diversified markets.
R.3 Households in the municipality of intervention – in particular adolescents, pregnant and lactating women and children under 5 years of age – have access to a richer and more diversified diet based on healthy, nutritious products that belong to the local food heritage.
The project involves 2,800 inhabitants, 51% of whom are women, from 15 communities in the municipality of Puerto Acosta, located in the La Paz region. The communities were selected in agreement with the local authorities and the partner PROSUCO based on the following criteria:
– Level of poverty in the communities
– Level of organisation
– Location of the communities
– Level of vulnerability to climate change
At the end of the project, at least 1,500 small producers will adopt the principles of agroecology and sustainable agriculture thanks to specific training and technical assistance. In addition, eight local small and medium-sized enterprises will receive small capital grants and specific management and entrepreneurial training to expand their businesses, thereby increasing the supply of local and nutritious products on local markets.
Project activities
The project aims to support small farmers, improve their skills, techniques and tools for agricultural production by strengthening qualified technical assistance services and introducing innovative and resilient agricultural practices. In addition, the initiative aims to strengthen rural micro-enterprises in the area and promote a diversified and high-quality diet.
Representatives of the 15 communities involved will be invited to a series of participatory planning activities, which will also be attended by local authorities. During these meetings, the “talking maps” method will be used, i.e. maps of the area enriched with short captions that tell the story, traditions and social, cultural and agricultural changes of the past, present and future.
A total of 15 workshops will be held, with the participation of 571 producers, 30% of whom are women heads of households, and two agricultural technicians from the Municipality of Puerto Acosta.
After analysing production issues, natural resource management methods and opportunities for improving production systems, each community will develop a proposal based on climate-smart production techniques, which the project will support through the purchase and distribution of tool kits, equipment and materials, as well as technical assistance.
Technical assistance to small producers will be provided by 10 Yapuchiri, i.e. experienced producers who are knowledgeable not only about agroecological techniques but also about the socio-cultural aspects associated with the individual traditional crops that the project aims to promote.
Climate risk management will be carried out through the installation of two fully equipped weather stations with a shared alert and monitoring system; training will be provided to municipal authorities on their use and maintenance.
In order to promote not only increased production but also sales on local markets, eight small and medium-sized enterprises will receive assistance in drawing up a development plan. Each will be granted a non-repayable loan aimed at strengthening its production chain (processing/preservation, marketing, logistics, packaging, marketing, market access).
Finally, community members will be involved through promotional messages and awareness campaigns on good food and nutrition practices, with a specific focus on pregnant women and children under 5. Workshops on the preparation of typical foods with high nutritional content, events in schools, and radio programmes will be organised.