Interplay among land law and policy, the environment, the war on drugs, narcoterrorism, and democratization : perspectives on Peru"s Upper Huallaga Valley

anti-narcotics efforts, which have utilized a multifaceted economic approach -- a mix of repression, eradication, economic incentives (e.g., to raise other crops and/or forego coca production), infrastructural development, land titling, and efforts to curb demand. This paper provides an overview of the complex issues involved. Chapters cover: (1) background on Peru and the Valley; (2) coca production; (3) cash flow and other economic effects of coca production; (4) environmental effects of coca production; (5) the land tenure situation in the Valley before and after passage of the agrarian reform law of 1991; and (6) policy options, including legalization of production, repression, purchase of all production (followed by eradication), the land titling strategy advocated by the Institute for Liberty and Democracy (ILD), and the multifaceted economic approach. The author favors continuation of the multifaceted economic approach, stressing that success will require continued, comprehensive, and expensive efforts. Specifically rejected is the ILD land titling proposal, which, while ingenious, neglects the dominance of economic interest among coca producers and the inhibiting presence in coca producing areas of the Sendero Luminoso (or Shining Path, a Peruvian guerilla group). Includes references.