- Title: BOLIVIA: Climate change pushes Bolivia's indigenous farmers to seek alternatives
- Date: 23rd October 2013
- Summary: CALA HUANCANI, BOLIVIA (RECENT) (REUTERS) GENERAL VIEW OF COMMUNITY VARIOUS OF LOCAL RESIDENTS PREPARING TO SOW SEEDS (SOUNDBITE) (Aymara) LOCAL FARMER, PAULINO QUISPE MAMANI, SAYING: "We once saw snow on the hills and we had plenty of water, and now we don't have much water. In the hills, it used to rain a lot and a lot of water ran through this place, but now the smal
- Embargoed: 7th November 2013 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Bolivia, Plurinational State Of
- Country: Bolivia
- Topics: Environment
- Reuters ID: LVAADG9RYASAG2JS4G42BYLN74DU
- Story Text: Melting glaciers in the Andes threatens indigenous Bolivian farmers, with water supply and yields of traditional crops such as quinoa under pressure from climate change.
High up in Bolivia's Andes, melting mountain glaciers are putting pressure on indigenous farmers as climate change in the South American nation threatens traditional harvests such as quinoa and canahua.
In the agricultural community of Cala Huancani some 4,300 metres (14,100 feet) above sea level, local farmers are feeling the heat. Experts estimate the surrounding Cordillera Real mountain range has lost 40 percent of its glacier mass since 1980.
The climate phenomenon has affected nearby lakes and rivers, reducing the flow of water farmers need for crops, livestock and their own well-being.
"We once saw snow on the hills and we had plenty of water, and now we don't have much water. In the hills, it used to rain a lot and a lot of water ran through this place, but now the small rivers are drier. Sometimes there is no water for the livestock, or for us. There are institutions that are helping us to find alternatives and move forward," said local farmer, Paulino Quispe Mamani.
To cope with changing conditions, experts from La Paz's San Andres University have been advising agricultural communities on new crops and planting techniques to make farming practices more efficient and reduce the problems caused by a of lack of water and poor soil conditions.
The changing weather patterns have put pressure on the traditional farming practices of Bolivia's indigenous that have been passed down over generations.
"When the mountain begins to thaw, there is more water and the farmers in certain areas knew they had ten years to cultivate other species. So, they did an intensive exploitation of the land and knew that within ten years they had to migrate, they had to leave the area. Perhaps the closest example we have in the city of La Paz, for example, is the cultivation of fodder," explained Development Sciences Professor Oscar Bazoberry at the University of San Andres.
The changing climatic conditions have forced farmers to adapt to changing circumstances. Crops that could not be grown in certain areas, like fruit trees, can now be cultivated, while in others the productivity of soya, cotton, rice and sugar cane is under strain.
But with scientists estimating the temperature in Bolivia's Andes to rise by some 0.32 degrees centigrade per decade, triple the amount of previous increases before 1975, many are concerned for the future of Bolivia's farmers.
"So, the adaptive mechanisms that they and other farmers had may not respond to the current context and this makes them vulnerable. And we become vulnerable as consumers and vulnerable as a country," added Bazoberry.
Still, other researchers believe that farmers can find new opportunities as they adapt to climate change.
"What they have seen is that they're missing quinoa here, it was once produced here because it tolerated certain temperatures, same as canahua. But the change is producing new cultivators and also improving new varieties," said another San Andres researcher, Edwin Yujra Sea.
"There is infinite production potential which is being encouraged by climate change. In the end, we don't know how long it will be favourable," he added.
With Bolivia facing increasingly tough climatic conditions, International aid group Oxfam warns Bolivia's changing temperatures and water supply patterns will worsen food supply in the Latin American nation where an estimated one in four Bolivians do not receive their daily nutritional needs. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2013. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None