Bolivian farmers and alternative crops: Some insights into innovation adoption

The Bolivian Institute for Agricultural Technology, with financial and technical backing from USAID/Bolivia, has recently intensified its efforts to develop and promote cropping systems to serve as alternatives to coca cultivation in the Chapare region of Bolivia. A study was conducted in which 85 farmers were visited and interviewed in order to identify problems faced by farmers of the Chapare, understand the farming practices of the region, and determine the attributes of the new crops that were contributing to their adoption or rejection. Interviews were conducted in an informal manner using an interview guide consisting primarily of open-ended questions. The results of this study indicate that the capital outlay required and the expected profitability, both economic and otherwise, are the attributes of the new crops which most strongly influenced farmers' initial adoption/rejection decisions. The major obstacle to innovation adoption in the Chapare seems to be new crops whose adoption presents unacceptably high levels of risk coupled with low anticipated profitability. Recommendations for the development of the alternative crops program and the Chapare region conclude the paper.