Context:
In the Bolivian highlands, smallholder farmers, mostly indigenous people, face risks to their livelihoods. The growing prevalence of extreme weather and desertification are making it difficult to grow Andean cereals and potatoes or to keep llamas and alpacas. An additional threat comes from soils made infertile by salinisation, erosion and inappropriate cultivation methods.
Thus, it is essential to protect and regenerate the soil. This also includes the conservation of water resources, biodiversity and the climate. In this way, it will be possible to increase agricultural yields and reduce poverty in the highlands.
Objective:
In the Bolivian highlands, a region affected by poverty, family farms use environmentally and climate-friendly cultivation practices. In this way, they improve soil fertility and adapt better to climate change.
Approach:
The project promotes policies and practices for managing and regenerating soils in ways that maintain their viability for the future. To this end, it advises the Ministry of Productive and Rural Development and Water (Ministerio de Desarrollo Productivo, Rural y Agua, MDPRyA) on strategies and land use plans that protect the land and biodiversity. The project is working with partners, including non-governmental organisations and research centres, to develop a digital information system that monitors the state of soils so as to improve land policy decisions.
The project advises producer groups and small businesses on the long-term financing of regenerative practices for soils, which enables them to pursue business models adapting production to the climate. This benefits especially women and young adults in the Bolivian highlands.
To use the soil sustainably it is key to use quality-assured seeds, as well as organic fertilisers and plant protection methods. The project mainly supports producer groups and small and medium-sized enterprises headed by women, assisting them to increase their supply and quality.