Bolivia to Celebrate National Day of Agrarian Revolution

In commemoration of the National Day of the Productive and Communitarian Agrarian Revolution on Tuesday, Bolivian President Evo Morales will participate in a public ceremony where he is expected to make important announcements regarding the country’s agricultural sector.

Since Morales took office in 2006, his administration has promoted a number of measures seeking to support and protect family farmers and award environmentally sustainable practices.

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While agriculture accounts for only 13 percent of Bolivia’s total gross domestic product, 40 percent of Bolivia’s workforce is engaged in agricultural activities.

“Without a doubt, he will make important announcements regarding the agricultural sector, as the country is in the midst of a serious drought,” Carlos Osinaga Director of the National Institute for Agricultural and Forestry stated on Monday.

Bolivia’s Southern region has been particularly impacted by a recent dry spell, which has affected around 132,000 families in the regions of Oruro, Cochabamba and Chuquisaca. In the department of Cochabamba, the government estimates that at least 19,000 hectares of crops in 28 of the department’s 47 municipalities have been damaged.

One of the innovative ways in which the Bolivian government has tried to mitigate the impacts of climate change particularly as it relates to agriculture and price volatility was through the creation of the National Agricultural Insurance Institute (INSA). The INSA is responsible for notifying banks to grant financial assistance to potato, barley, corn, quinoa and wheat producers whose crops have been damaged because of climate change.

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These initiatives form part of Bolivia's National Development Plan, which outlines a series of policies that address agrarian issues within the country, including support for food sovereignty agencies that provide technical assistance, training and policy building to small-scale farmers.

In 2015, the Ministry of Planning announced that out of $48 billion in planned public investments by 2020, more than $5 billion would be invested in agriculture.