Geography

Technology and rural development strategies in a small farmer organization: Lessons from Bolivia for rural policy and practice

Document Type

Article

Abstract

At a time when public sector agricultural and rural development administration is changing quite profoundly, and when fanner organizations are being asked to assume more significant roles in rural and agricultural development, in-depth analysis of these organizations is an important input into policy and programmatic discussions. This article is an analysis of one type of small fanner organization, a regional economic organization called El Ceibo in Bolivia. It is one of the most successful cases of small farmer organization around technology generation and product transformation and marketing in the Andes. El Ceibo has been able to open new markets for its products, adapt product transformation techniques appropriate for these markets, and develop technology in support of its marketing strategy. Factors favouring Ceibo's success include long-term financial and technical support from external agencies, isolated location, and a cash/export crop specialization. The impacts of Ceibo are significant, although it is not clear how far Ceibo's activities foster a more broadly based regional development in the Alto Beni area. The article also compares the strategies and impacts of economically based organizations such as El Ceibo with those of more traditional, representative and politically oriented small farmer organizations.

Publication Title

Public Administration and Development

Publication Date

1-1-1996

Volume

16

Issue

3

First Page

195

Last Page

213

ISSN

0271-2075

DOI

10.1002/(SICI)1099-162X(199608)16:3<195::AID-PAD879>3.0.CO;2-2

Keywords

public sector, economic development, community development, rural development, agricultural policy, Bolivia

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