The ‘Focus on the Field’ section of your Devlop' takes you to Bolivia this time, to discover a hydroponic farming development project aimed at populations with limited access to land.
We are in southern Bolivia, in the municipalities of Cercado and San Lorenzo in the central valley of Tarija. This rural area is populated by indigenous and mestizo farmers, known as ‘chapacos’, who lead a lifestyle rooted in local customs. For several years, the region's economy has been heavily dependent on natural gas exploitation, and the instability of the hydrocarbon market makes the situation particularly delicate. Local authorities are therefore seeking alternative sources of income for the population in order to mitigate this economic instability.
With this in mind, the regional government, Louvain Coopération and its local partner, Esperanza Bolivia, have collaborated on a strategic approach that stimulates the market gardening and berry growing sectors through training and the provision of agricultural materials. In total, this project targets 150 farming families living in urban and peri-urban areas, who therefore have little access to land.
An innovative agricultural system
At the heart of this project is the hydroponic system, which is being offered to market gardeners as an innovation for their business. ‘This will enable them to achieve the objective of diversifying their own food consumption and generate additional income for farming families through the marketing of surplus production,’ explains Sergio Martínez, project manager in Tarija.
A Hydroponic Production Centre (CPH) has been set up 8 km from the city centre. It is a 140 m² model greenhouse and has three objectives: technological research and validation, demonstration and training. Various hydroponic systems are currently being tested and the initial results are promising, as shown by the good development of different varieties of lettuce, cabbage, celery, Swiss chard, broccoli and cauliflower. A nutrient solution tailored to the specific needs of strawberry cultivation is also being tested. Sergio Martinez adds: ‘As installing a greenhouse can be too costly for these families with limited economic resources, we have also set up an outdoor module at the CPH. This allows us to train families to grow crops without a greenhouse, taking into account the vagaries of the weather.’
Although hydroponics requires the addition of chemical inputs, the system put in place remains environmentally friendly because the water and nutrients used are recycled within the system and never discharged into waterways or the sewage system.