COUNTRY

PRESENTATION:
THE RURAL IN THE
PLURINATIONAL STATE
OF BOLIVIA
Carla Baldivieso
International Master in Rural Development
Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra

July, 2019

Credits: Comunidad de Estudios JAINA, Tarija - Bolivia

 General Information

Population in Agricultural
Total Population Arable
rural areas (% Agriculture Workers (% of
Land (estimated Land
of total in GDP (%) total
(sq.km) at 2018) (%)
population) employment)

1,098,581 11.216.000 32.5 14.8 13.97 27.1

(Source: INE, 2015; Gapminder Foundation: Food and Agriculture Organization, 2015) Credits: dissidentvoice.org
Geographical conditions

Credits: Google Maps, scielo.org.bo

 Social characteristics
• Cultural Diversity: Plurinationality (36 nationalities
recognized in the State Constitution)
• Urbanization Process

Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE) Credits: Achacachi.tripod.com

 Social Characteristics
• Predominant activity is agriculture.
• Natural conditions influence diversified
alimentary systems
1 2 • Diversified sources of income of the rural
populations
• Lack of access to basic services (water,
basic sanitation, electricity, health
services)
• 56,6% of population in rural areas has basic
sanitation (INE, 2016)

Credits: La Razón (1,2) , Comunidad de Estudios JAINA (3)

Milestones in the Land Rural Policies
Stage Policy Objectives
• Disunity of originarian
Early stage: Before community for private
1953 property.
• Determine limits of agrarian •
property.
• Redistribution of land.
Agrarian reform: 1953 • Agricultural industrialization.
• Regulation of agrarian • Access to land for lowland
Law of the National
property.
Institute of Agrarian • Formalization of the land
Reform INRA: 1996 market.
• Regulation of agrarian • Limits to large property.
Law of property. Redistribution of •
Communitarian land.
Reconduction of • Review and expropriation of
Agrarian Reform: large properties.
• Reconstitution of indigenous
2006 territories.
Structural changes Land Ownership
• Concentration of land. • Private property.
• Affectation to indigenous • Recognition of originarian
communities. population.
Abolishment of land • Small Property, Medium Property,
concentration. Farming Company.
• Restoration of lands in • Recognition of indigenous
highlands and valleys. territories.
• Origin of smallholders.
• Concentration of property in
lowland: industrialization.
• Small Property, Medium Property,
indigenous people. Farming Company.
• Community Land of Origin (TCO)
• Individual agrarian property (max.
Land in TCO as a base for 5000 ha per person)
indigenous and peasant • Communitarian property:
autonomy (TIOC). Indigenous territories, originarian
population and peasants (TIOC).
Source: Sanjinés, 2015; Peres et al, 2008
Strengths Threats
The focus of the state support according to law Extractivism:
and constitution: Monocultives, extraction of hydrocarbons and
The need to build another "pattern of agrarian mining.
development" that reaches food sovereignty (However these activities generate also income
and the greatest surplus, based on community, for the state and income diversification for the
associative and individual agricultural and families).
forestry production systems. But,
Development of a "plural and diverse" rural Secondary effects??
economy for the "coexistence of public,
community, associative and business services" Territorial issues
an object of "democratizing access to the
benefits of agriculture“
Proposed policies. "Strengthen the role of
peasant, indigenous and indigenous family
agriculture with a community base", with the
objective of promoting the increase in the
quantity and quality of food production "
Credits: Biodiversidad.org Credits: INESAD
 Challenges
• Increase public services.
• Generate conditions for population to stay
in the rural areas
• Climate change
• Regulate agrarian property
• Strengthening institutions
- Technical assistance
• Research/regulation, negotiation in
conflicts of interests in landownership
Water Harvest in Potosí. “Mi Agua” Project
- Expansion of the agricultural frontier and
“land´s foreignerization”
- Gender gap

Credits: iagua.es (1),

Actors in the rural areas
• State at national and local level
• Policy maker
• Intervention through public enterprises:
• EASBA (San Buenaventura Sugar Company)
• EBA (Bolivian Almond Company)
• EBOCOCA (Bolivian Communitarian Company of Coca)
• EEPS (Strategic Seed Production Company) 1
• EEPAF (Strategic Company for the Production of Fertilizers and
Fertilizers)
• LACTEOSBOL (Dairy products from Bolivia)
• PROMIEL (Beekeping Productive Company)

• Communities of peasants and indigenous populations.

Associations. Cooperatives.
• Private sector: enterprises (small, medium and large)
• Non Governmental organizations, Civil Society Organizations,
Research Institutions
2

Credits: Comunidad de Estudios JAINA (1), Bolivia Industria y Empresa (2)

Regional trademarks: the case of “Tarija
Aromas y Sabores” (Tarija Aromas and Tastes)
“Tarija, Aromas y Sabores is (a) Public-Private Certification
Brand that bets on the differentiation of Origin, Typicity and
Quality, as a strategy to distinguish agri-food products that
enjoy particular characteristics of (the Tarija) region in terms of
climate and vegetation, which makes the products have their
own personality. The Tarija, Aromas and Sabores Certification
Mark is the challenge of a territory to be able to protect its
products and facilitate access and protection in the markets.”
Official Page: tarijaaromasysabores.com/
The Brand:
• Certifies that the products and / or
services to which it applies meet and
comply with common requirements,
especially as regards their origin.
• Establishes protection for products
through the use of the seal, avoiding
counterfeiting and adulteration.
• Welcomes specialty products that are
linked to the history, culture and
particular characteristics that are
obtained or placed in a specific
territory.
• Protect and Strengthen Product -
Territory.

Source: Official Page tarijaaromasysabores.com

• Actors involved:

• Productive Associations

• Public Institutions

• Private Institutions

• Support Institutions

Source: Official Page tarijaaromasysabores.com

 Laderas Centro, Tarija - Bolivia

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION

References
• Instituto Nacional de Estadística de Bolivia (INE). 2015. Censo Nacional de Población y Vivienda. Retrieved from:
https://bolivia.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/pub-pdf/Caracteristicas_de_Poblacion_2012.pdf
• Eyzaguirre Rodríguez, José Luis. (2015, December). Importancia Socioeconómica de la Agricultura Familiar en Bolivia.
(Socioeconomic Importance of Family Farming in Bolivia). Fundación Tierra. Retrieved from:
http://www.ftierra.org/index.php?option=com_mtree&task=att_download&link_id=152&cf_id=52
• Instituto Nacional de Estadística de Bolivia INE. (2015, December). Censo Agropecuario 2013. (2013 Agricultural Census).
Retrieved from: https://www.sudamericarural.org/images/en_papel/archivos/CENSO-AGROPECUARIO-BOLIVIA_final.pdf
• Sanjines Delgadillo, Esteban. (2013, August). Las condiciones jurídicas de acceso a la tierra para campesinos e indígenas en Bolivia.
(The legal conditions of access to land for peasants and indigenous people in Bolivia). Movimiento Regional por la
Tierra/Fundación Tierra – Bolivia. Retrieved from: https://porlatierra.org/docs/Qodr6enB.pdf
• Peres José, Valderrama Carlos, Vadillo Alcides. (2008). Sobre la tenencia de la tierra en Bolivia. (About landownership in Bolivia).
Swedish Agency for International Cooperation, ASDI. Final Inform. Retrieved from: www.bivica.org/upload/tierra-tenencia-
analisis.pdf
• Tierra, F. (2014). Ampliación Responsable de la Frontera Agrícola (Responsible Extension of the Agricultural Frontier). Retrieved
from http://www.ftierra.org/index.php/publicacion/propuestas-para-politicas-publicas/119-ampliacion-responsable-de-la-frontera-
agricola
• Tarija Aromas y Sabores. 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.tarijaaromasysabores.com/