Bolivia – VOAGRO Technical Assistance Program

Preparing Bolivians for Success

Despite Bolivia’s extreme poverty—it has the third-lowest per capita GDP in South America—the country has great economic potential. The VOAGRO Technical Assistance Program worked to develop this potential by increasing expertise and improving practices in the agricultural sector. The program was funded by the Cochabamba-based Agrocapital Foundation, which was founded by ACDI/VOCA in 1991, and was implemented by the VOCA Foundation with ACDI/VOCA’s assistance. The project helped Bolivian smallholders improve their economic well-being by giving them access to international expertise to improve agricultural practices.

Through VOAGRO, the VOCA Foundation connected Bolivian smallholder producers with international volunteer consultants who provide short-term technical assistance in different aspects of agricultural and productive sectors. The program funded a total of 12 technical assistance assignments over the period of January 1, 2007, to August 30, 2008, in the departments of La Paz, Cochabamba, Santa Cruz and Tarija. These assignments focused on

• animal health
• animal nutrition
• international furniture design standards
• international furniture manufacturing standards
• molasses processing
• soil management and rice irrigation
• organic peanut production
• post-harvest handling of table grapes
• raspberry processing
• fava bean post-harvest handling
• horticultural production
• production of honey and honey derivatives

Within the scope of each of these areas, the volunteers worked to improve practices in production technology, post-harvest handling, agribusiness development, value-added processing, marketing, institutional strengthening and natural resource management. The program also worked to strengthen the host organizations and the viability of their production, ultimately leading to the improved economic well-being of the individual producers and the regions in which they operate.

By the end of the program, VOAGRO-funded technical assistance had directly benefited over 450 Bolivian families as well as the 12 receiving host organizations. Indirectly, thousands of individuals, as well as communities and the entire country, have been positively impacted by this activity. The short-term results of this assistance as reported by the host organizations show significant economic benefits resulting in their improved business models and production techniques. Highlights of the most outstanding program impacts include the following:

• One organization reported a 25 percent decrease in the incidence of disease in cattle.
• Three organizations reported increased yields for honey (300 percent), milk (60 percent) and molasses (60 percent).
• Improved quality increased demand for the goods produced by 2 organizations in furniture (70 percent) and grapes (80 percent).
• One firm reported a 30 percent drop in costs upon adopting new methods of preparing animal feed.
• One organization experienced a 20 percent growth in membership.

Since 1991, VOCA Foundation staff, ACDI/VOCA and Agrocapital have coordinated on activities for improved social and economic development in Bolivia. In that year ACDI/VOCA helped form the Agrocapital Foundation, a nonprofit rural-lending foundation, under its Managed Rural Capital Resources Activity. Since its founding, Agrocapital’s loan portfolio has grown from under $1 million to more than $10 million. The institution provides rural financial services to 4,100 microentrepreneurs, farmers and agribusinesses, making it the premier institution of its kind in Bolivia. Now, thanks to the support of Agrocapital, VOAGRO is able to build expertise and economic success among smallholders.