Economic structuring of agricultural production systems in response to climatic variability in the Bolivian Andes

Cristal Taboada Belmonte; Magali García Cárdenas; Alvaro Cuiza; Omar Pozo; Edwin E. Yucra Sea; Jere L. Gilles

Abstract

The permanent pressure faced by Andean farmers due to the development of their activity in a climate risky environment has historically configured a productive scheme responsive to these stresses, oriented mainly to food security. However, in the last three decades, the system has faced entry into a global change scenario, which includes thermal increases that reduce the risk of frost and better connections with the urban markets that are constantly demanding quality, non-rustic food. This new environment has caused farmers to change their production system while maintaining the family structure of production. This paper explores and describes the results of an intensive participatory survey of information on the Benefit / Cost relationship that farmers in three Andean ecosystems have experienced under the aforementioned change scenario. The results show that the farmer is strongly influenced in his productive decisions in a similar magnitude by the market and the climate, but that the decisions vary strongly according to the access to the means of production. It also shows a lot of flexibility of the Andean producers to respond and adapt their productive system to the new realities and with an adequate support of institutions of agricultural interaction, could enhance the advantages that bring the new climatic and market conditions. Finally, it is shown that the costs covered by the very familiar and endogenous production system strongly subsidize the prices of urban markets.