Scientific Publication

The development of low cost soil and water conservation for smallholder farmers in the mid-Andean valleys of Bolivia. (Symposium paper)

author(s) Ellis-Jones, J.. - Twomlow, S.J.. - Sims, B.G.
from UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO)
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themes
regions
  • South America
  • Latin America and the Caribbean
  • Americas
  • World
citation

Sims, B.G., Ellis-Jones, J. and Twomlow, S. The development of low cost soil and water conservation for smallholder farmers in the mid-Andean valleys of Bolivia. 18 pp. Paper presented at the proceedings of 16th Symposium of the International Farming Systems Association and 4th Latin American Farming Systems Research and Extension Symposium on Globalization and local development: challenges to small scale production

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Abstract

Poverty and land degradation in the mid-Andean valleys of Bolivia are major interrelated problems necessitating approaches that will both improve livelihoods and at the same time lead to improved land use. This paper outlines a participatory research and development process with a number of communities in Cochabamba and Santa Cruz, which has led to increasing use of live barrier and cover crops. These are now being actively promoted by a number of NGOs as well as farmer groups. Research has involved close collaboration between scientists and farmers throughout the process to ensure that farmers' criteria were used in the evaluation process. Successful development of sustainable land use practices at a field scale now need to be followed by consideration of factors that will facilitate upscaling to a landscape or watershed level. This will require close involvement of existing institutional structures taking into account the different interests of all user groups

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