In the highland Department of Potosi, in the south-west of Bolivia, the Agriculture Program has been working among the Quechua people in the province of Chayanta, one of the poorest and most food-insecure areas in the country. Most men cultivate small plots of land while women care for the few livestock the family may own. Life is difficult and people are often discouraged and unwilling to take risks that could better their living conditions. They fear losing the little they have, or risking what they know for something new. Culturally, the people have adopted a fatalistic attitude to life, taking minimal initiative to counter what they see as inevitable.

Through this area flows the Tomoyo River, which normally runs clear and shallow through a wide riverbed framed on either side by painted mountains. During the rainy season, however, floodwaters can fill the riverbed making it impossible to cross. This creates dangerous conditions that claim several lives every year. The land is semi-arid and supports little vegetation. Farmers in the area produce mainly potatoes, corn, wheat, broad beans and tarhui. The majority of what is produced is stored for personal family consumption throughout the year. Heavy rains, droughts, hail storms and wind are all contending factors for the local farmers.

In 1996, USAID and FHI/Bolivia partnered in a project that would bring a year-round supply of irrigation water to more than 408 families in the communities of Tomoyo, Yoroca, Sorojchi and Molle Molle (the 4 communities that lay on the western side of the Tomoyo river). The irrigation canal was completed in 2002 and now brings water to 548 hectares of land used for farming, permitting additional harvests that would otherwise not be possible and doubling agricultural production. The end purpose of the project was to increase the food security and income of local families, and ultimately to improve levels of nutrition and health.

Farmers now have a reliable water source available year round. Multiple plantings and harvests can occur each year, which helps raise income levels. The irrigation canal transverses 15.35 km of the valley and is an engineering feat snaking through long stretches of isolated, mountainous terrain. The canal’s very existence in this remote and impoverished region has brought hope for a better future.

In order to keep the canal maintained and manage the rotating use of water, an association has been formed with representatives from the communities that are served by the canal. Each farmer contributes 55 bolivianos (US$7) per hectare, as is outlined in the association’s statutes and rules, bringing in a total of 29,000 bolivianos (US$ 3,660) annually for the management and repairs that the canal requires.

Income levels have been steadily rising since the inauguration of the canal, demonstrating its positive impact on these communities. Harvests are yielding more and the quality of products has significantly improved. Impacts have also been seen in the improved health in the communities due to better nutrition and access to water. FHI staff has worked alongside community residents to train farmers in improved agricultural techniques and to help establish producer associations, which works to unify farmers and keep them informed about market values and demands.