Bolivia

Why the Bolivian Andes needs more forest

People in the Andes mountain range live at altitudes of many thousands of meters, far away from big cities. Even though their social services have improved over the years, they are still very poor. They live from small-scale farming, but this is getting more difficult because of increasing drought and water shortage. Apart from climate change, there are two significant causes:

1. Many original trees and shrubs have disappeared

Many indigenous trees and shrubs that used to grow high up in the mountains, have disappeared because of cattle farming and agriculture.  The problem is that, normally, trees absorb water and from the mountains it flows down underground. There it ends up in natural sources or water basins (reservoirs), from which people come to use it.

Without trees and shrubs the soil is less and less able to retain water. On the one hand, this causes water shortage in times of drought. And heavy rainfall, on the other, causes the water to gush down along the slopes rather uselessly. This in turn causes erosion, in which chunks of soil wash away or the grounds burst open.

2. Traditional farming exhausts the soil further

Many Andes farmers grow mainly potatoes, quinoa, corn and onions as monocultures: the same plot of land bears the same crop year in, year out. Additionally, large quantities of chemicals are used to counter pests and diseases, which exhausts the soil, rendering it drier and less fertile. Growing and harvesting food and making a living from it becomes increasingly difficult.

In short, in order to improve people’s living conditions it is crucial to (re)plant trees!

This is what we are going to do in Bolivia

Together with the Samay Foundation and the local population we will plant the trees from a landscape approach, using two methods:

1. Reforestation in water rentention areas

For one thing we will plant trees on degraded soil in water retention areas. These are sites high up in the mountains where rainwater collects in a natural way. By planting trees in exactly those places,  water retention (water storage) improves and availability of water in the region increases. Moreover, the trees prevent erosion. They keep the soil together, as it were and ‘store’ the water falling in a sizable shower, so it will not gush down all at once.

To achieve this, the communities will plant  indigenous species of trees which survive well at altitudes of thousands of meters, such as kewiña and kiswara. In addition they will build dozens of water reservoirs. Water from the mountains will flow into these and is stored. People may use this water for their homes and to water trees and crops.

2. Laying out agroforestry plots

For another thing we support farmers and their families to make the switch to agroforestry. They plant indigenous trees and fruit trees on their land, interspersed with vegetables, fruit and other crops.

The trees and crops stimulate sound, strong and fertile soil, which stores and washes down water better. This way, it is going to be a sustainable alternative for traditional use of land, such as animal husbandry or agriculture.

Besides, the variation in crops makes people considerably less dependent on one type of food. Is one type in difficulty? In that case, there will be plenty of other food to live on or4 to sell in the marketplace. As a result, both their  certainty of food  and their income will increase.

Education for communities

In order to make this project successful, it is important to get the population on their way properly. After all, they are the ones responsible for plantation and maintenance. That is why our partner Samay organizes various workshops, training sessions and exchange visits for the people who take part in the project. They may also consult the ‘model farm’ in the project region, in which a water retention area, agroforestry lot and water reservoirs have been copied.

This project of Trees for All contributes to several
Sustainable Development Goals

Our partners

Within this project we work together with the Samay Foundation. Since 2002, this Dutch organisation has worked on various project in the Bolivian Andes, aiming at countering poverty and sustainable farming.

Samay works closely together with several smaller organisations in the Andes mountain range which supervise the local population planting trees and everything it involves. This contributes to extra knowhow and motivation to make the plantation successful. Apart from this, Trees for All and Samay are involved in monitoring the project.