Abstract
In the Andean Region (AR) of South America, the challenge of increasing agricultural production while conserving or improving the natural environment has attained a sense of urgency. This chapter examines the challenges faced by small-scale producers in the post-land reform areas of the Andean Region. It focuses on two critical challenges endemic in the region: variable climatic conditions and increasing scarcity of labor. It argues that small-scale farmers need new production options to assist in dealing with these challenges. Conservation agriculture represents a potential option in these areas and two examples are provided where conservation agriculture has shown some promise.
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Notes
- 1.
The research was funded by USAID through the Sustainable Agriculture and Natural Resource Management Collaborative Research Support Project (SANREM-CRSP). This research was made possible by the United States Agency for International Development and the generous support of the American people through USAID Cooperative Agreement No. EPP-A-00-04-00013-00.
- 2.
The sindicato is the basic unit of organization for agricultural producers in the inter-Andean valleys of Bolivia.
- 3.
Exact estimates are difficult to come by because the criteria used to identify conservation agriculture vary from study to study. It is estimated that more than 100 million hectares world-wide are currently planted under no-till.
- 4.
Research partners were INIAP in Ecuador and PROINPA in Bolivia. Local governmental and non-governmental organizations were also included in the research program.
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Alwang, J., Norton, G.W., Barrera, V., Botello, R. (2013). Conservation Agriculture in the Andean Highlands: Promise and Precautions. In: Mann, S. (eds) The Future of Mountain Agriculture. Springer Geography. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-33584-6_3
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