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Agroforestry in Bolivia: opportunities and challenges in the context of food security and food sovereignty

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 July 2016

JOHANNA JACOBI
JOHANNA JACOBI*
Affiliation:
Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, USA Centre for Development and Environment, University of Bern, Switzerland
*
*Correspondence: Johanna Jacobi, Centre for Development and Environment, University of Bern, Hallerstrasse 10, 3012 Bern, Switzerland. E-mail: johanna.jacobi@cde.unibe.ch
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Summary

Agroforestry systems have long been implemented in Bolivia, but little is known about their overall current status. Interviews with farmers, policymakers and members of civil society organizations about the challenges and opportunities that agroforestry faces, as well as field visits to agroforestry projects revealed a wide range of agroforestry initiatives in Bolivia that provide ecosystem services, food and income to local families. All interviewees attributed a high potential to agroforestry, for example, to promote biodiversity, water conservation, food sovereignty and adaptation to climate change impacts. However, agroforestry initiatives lacked support because government incentives were channelled to cattle rearing and large-scale monocultures rather than diversified farming systems, and agroforestry initiatives tended to be small and isolated. A nationwide policy is needed which is coordinated with civil society organizations and individual farmers and strategically and efficiently supports agroforestry initiatives – especially in the most vulnerable first years of establishment – through extension services and access to materials, markets, knowledge and financial resources.

Keywords

agroforestryBoliviadiversified farming systemsfood securityfood sovereignty
Type
Papers
Information
Environmental Conservation , Volume 43 , Issue 4 , December 2016 , pp. 307 - 316
Copyright
Copyright © Foundation for Environmental Conservation 2016 

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