Evaluation of initial responses to the alternative crops program by Bolivian farmers of the Chapare region

This study investigates farmers" reactions to the new crops. The results indicate that capital requirements and expected profitability are the attributes of the new crops that most strongly influenced farmers" initial adoption and/or rejection decisions. The three alternative crops most often planted by the farmers interviewed were pineapple, improved citrus, and bean. Pineapple and bean were among the crops that could be tried out on a small scale with the least investment. These crops also offered the clearest benefits. Farmers planted bean for their high nutritional value, pineapple and improved citrus for their good market potential, and improved citrus for its clear advantages over the natural citrus used by more than half of the citrus growers. There was a promising export market for banana, a popular traditional crop whose production and marketing the Bolivian Institute for Agricultural Technology (IBTA) was working to improve. Finally, among the crops tested, pineapple, bean, improved citrus, and banana were also among the crops most well- suited to the climate and soil conditions prevalent in the Chapare. Because farmers were aware that the future of coca was problematic and that government incentives were in place to encourage the establishment of alternative production systems, the introduced crops were compatible with farmers" needs to look for alternatives to coca cultivation. However, farmers rejected alternative crops for a combination of reasons. The relatively large capital investment required due to the initial cost of some of the plants and the expensive agrochemicals needed for their maintenance discouraged farmers. The unfamiliar agrochemicals were also incompatible with farmers" current practices. From the farmers" perspective, anticipated profitability was low due to farmers" doubts about the new crops" market potential and ecological suitability to the region. Finally, a loan system that demands payments before crops mature and does not forgive loans in the case of crop failure makes the risk involved in the adoption of alternative crops unacceptable for the majority of farmers. Although previous studies concerning the adoption of agricultural innovations have found farm size and educational level to be predictors of adoption behavior, the present study suggests that these factors are secondary to a farmer"s weighing of costs, risks, and expected benefits vis a vis his or her individual situation. There was strong evidence that farmers of the Chapare are not in general averse to change. Farmers overwhelmingly adopted the practice of using improved pastures and there were actually shortages of some alternative crops -- pineapple plantlets, for instance. In this study, the major obstacle to innovation adoption seems to be new crops whose adoption resents unacceptably high levels of risk coupled with low anticipated profitability. (Author abstract)