Focusing on agroecology, consumer awareness and social inclusion 

Sustainable agriculture
02.02.2022
A new project phase, seeking to strengthen innovations in the country's agri-food systems and family farming, begins:

The Inclusive Markets project initiated a new phase starting in 2021 that will continue until 2025. In this period of time, the overall project objectives will be maintained: developing market systems, alleviating poverty, and promoting gender equality. It will also incorporate the aim to increase resilience, which, for the project, means the ability to mitigate, adapt and recover from adverse events that affect family farming.

The project manager Sandra Nisttahusz explains the new focus areas of this project period: 

“The project team of inclusive markets professionals considers it urgent to work towards resilience in agri-food systems so we can face adversities, such as climate change (...) pandemics (...). Up to now (thanks to the previous project initiatives), we have accumulated many lessons and tools that we want to expand on a subnational and national scale”; (in this new phase) “we are taking on the challenge of contributing to the intensification of agroecological agriculture, increased consumer awareness and social inclusion to increase the resilience capabilities of men and women who participate in the food systems in rural and areas surrounding towns."

The project will operate in the highlands, valleys, and – in this new phase – in the lowlands. Both the design and the implementation are carried out in accordance with the objectives of the Economic and Social Development Plan (2021-2025) of the Pluri-national State of Bolivia, as well as the international development strategies of Switzerland and Sweden in Bolivia.

Swisscontact is the project leader for Inclusive Markets in Bolivia, PROFIN Foundation is a partner and the PROINPA, PLAGBOL and RIMISP Foundations are the principal implementing partners.

Examples of project beneficiaries

Román Flores, a vegetable farmer from the municipality of Caracollo, regularly sells vegetables on markets. In recent years, due to the pandemic, his family were forced to change their line of work. They made the best out of the situation and now they have two greenhouses and a vehicle that allows them to provide the city of Oruro with vegetables every Friday.
Lila Lluzco from the Finaya de Umala community in La Paz, Bolivia. Mrs. Lluzco is one of the most important potato producers in her municipality. She is currently finalising the payment of a credit that allowed her to buy a tractor. In addition to seed potato and commercial production, she also produces quinoa. In the 2020-2021 agricultural campaign, an event sponsored by the National Agricultural Health and Food Safety Service (SENASAG), the productive potential of the Jatun Puka potato variety was demonstrated in her plots.
Bolivia
Sustainable agriculture
Inclusive Markets in Bolivia
The main objective of the program is "to improve the living conditions of the target population by helping them reduce their poverty situation". The purpose is "to increase the opportunities, capacities and income of the target population".The Inclusive Markets project is implemented in Bolivia with funding from the Swiss Agency for Development and...