Agroforestry Systems
La Asunta
The Central Agraria Nueva Kollasuyo, consisting of the communities Flor de Mayo, Palestina, Nueva Esperanza, thanks to a commitment of coca erradication sign with the governtment, received the support of the YCADF, Yungas Community Alternative Development Fund, for technical assistance and implementation of social and productive infrastructure.
The need to have licit, sustainable and profitable economic alternatives made us propose the implementation of productive systems suitable for the area, economically, socially and environmentally sustainable, with profitability close to or higher than the obtained with coca production.
The answer was the execution of the project Implementation of Productive Systems in Central Nueva Kollasuyo, which includes the implementation of demonstratives integrated productive systems, based in demonstrative succesional plots with complementary activities, with succesional economic advantage, which means to obtain products that generate income short-term (six months), mid term (1 to 3 years) and long-term (5 to 10 years). This demonstrative program aims to implement activities focusing in the productive chain (from production to merchandising). In addition, a direct technical assistance program is proposed, with the counseling and support en traditionally developed activities that are important in the income generation por the residents.
The program of implementation of demonstatrives productive systems was based on:
- Implementation of 60 demonstrative plots of 0.75 hectares each, under the succesional system.
- Creation of an economic organization.
- Qualification and organizational strengthening in production, transformation, merchandising and management of economic organizations.
- Interchange of opinions under the farmer-to-farmer methodology.
- Creation of promoters.
- Market analysis creation, merchandising techniques and commercial partnerships.
- Construction of productive infrastructure and equipment.
- Produce the teaching material.
The program of direct technical asistance had the following in account:
- Enrichment of existing productive orchards, with new and improved species.
- Recovery of the common orchard for the propagation of citrus and other species.
- Teaching productive, conservation and sustainable management subjects.
- Production of the supporting material.
- Implementation of family orchards addressed to better the nutrition and to create excedent.
Parcelas Agroforestales en Alto Beni
The project of Sincronization and estratification of succesional agroforestry plots, implemented in Cantón Inicua-area V, in the province Sud Yungas from La Paz department, benefited 409 families belonging to 20 colonies close to Pilón Lajas Reserve. These families are emigrants especially from the altiplano region, which imply lack of knowledge of tropical agriculture causing forest erradication due to the typical chaqueo. In front of this productive system, the YCADF and the Agro Program OSCAR suggested a production alternative called Successional Agroforestry Systems under different designs in the systems cacao - coffee and citrus - coffee. This system proved to be a real alternative to solve the ecological and productive problems of the area, even recovering the already degraded areas due to the traditional practices.
The project objective was to implement agroforestry technology to help keep thenatural resources in equilibrium with an ecological and sustainable production at short, medium and long term. The main project goal was to improve the economic situation and recover the degraded soils using complex and simple agroforestry plots.
The project also supplied 40 one-day long classes for farmers, two each colony. For promoters and students of technical fields, 24 classes were supplied, 8 for each one of the four levels.
The project developed documents such as didactic scripts, information material,a educational tape related to agroforestry and the documentation of the experiences under the project.
As main component the implementation, construction and refection of 20 communal orchards were developed. Every year it was posible to install and keep 20 new plots of complex Successional Agroforestry Systems. It was possible to reach 389 families with simple agroforestry plots of 0.25 hectares each and reach 20 families with improvement of established permanent crops (cacao and citrus) and finally improve the annual crops of 5 volunteer farmers.
The last component was to promote the recovery and protection of marginal places, reforesting almost 750 square meters in important areas such as bridges, sewer and places with landslides. Also, more trees were planted in areas affected by road construction.
