Responsible and united agricultural communities
The indigenous producers from the region of Cochabamba, who have been farmers from generation to generation, have reorganized themselves under the structure of OECA. Currently, twenty-three divisions have been created in Bolivia and have been federalized to form the CIOEC. In total, more than 3,600 families are involved in this collective, and work together hand in hand. Together, they want to expand their economic productivity and organize themselves to make the chain of production more efficient. They are also concerned with knowing who cultivates which product, so as to better diversify the products offered. Finally, they unify their efforts to improve their production techniques and their farming administration. Indeed, the links of solidarity are very strong between the different divisions of OECA. A blatant example: each OECA doesn’t limit itself to the promotion of production, but they all support each other in the promotion of products in each community. According to Sandro Saravia, the departmental coordination of the CIOEC, “our organization rests on four principles. Firstly, we attempt to insert ourselves in a social solidarity economy, by favoring people and work and by redistributing the benefits in equal parts between the producers. Then we want to achieve self-management by integrating all our farmers into the decision making process.” Following this: “Our third principle consists of cultivating the land in a sustainable manner, only producing pesticide-free products while respecting the earth and the environment. Finally, we would like to attain food sovereignty by elaborating our own strategies of production, distribution, and consumption.”
The organic era has arrived!
The organic products of OECA are appearing more and more in local Bolivian markets and the CIOEC has assured to continue promoting them. Showing off the production of these products is important to the small farmers, because it informs the population about the importance of consumption of natural foods. Thus, beginning May 5 th , the national Bolivian TV station 42 PAT will broadcast for six Saturdays in a row Nutrición y buena salud [3]; a program which will invite the members of the CIOEC to discuss the benefits of ecological agriculture, and to present their organization and their products. Moreover, during the first week of May, in Cochabamba, a party organized by the regional OECA will take place in order to encourage consumption and above all to make known the work of OECA. Additionally, they hope to demonstrate that food sovereignty and self-management are possible when people join together. In July, they will be around La Paz, welcoming the thousands of participants in the demonstration that occurs each year.
Despite all these gatherings involving the consumption of healthier, more authentic food, the majority of the followers of the organic movement in Bolivia remain tourists. However, agreements have been recently formed between the CIOEC and local Bolivian authorities in order to distribute some of their local products in the school cafeterias. This foreshadows a certain kind of evolution regarding Bolivian behavior…
Also read: Résonances Latin America N°13 - April 2007
