A Food Systems Modeling Case Study in the Department of La Paz, Bolivia
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Food Security and Regional Self-Reliance: A Food Systems Modeling Case Study in the Department of La Paz, Bolivia A THESIS SUBMITTED BY Caitlin Matthews IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE DEGREE OF Master of Arts in Urban & Environmental Policy & Planning Tufts University May 2017 THESIS COMMITTEE Dr. Julian Agyeman, Advisor Dr. Christian Peters, Reader María Teresa Nogales, Reader i ABSTRACT In 2009, Bolivia adopted a new constitution that committed the government to guaranteeing the Right to Food. Despite ratification of supporting legislation, these intentions have largely not translated into policies with measurable impacts on food sovereignty, food security, or the livelihoods of small-scale producers. Through food systems modeling (including foodprint, foodshed, and climate change vulnerability) and stakeholder interviews, I investigated the potential for increasing regional self-reliance (RSR) for certain items in the basic food basket in the Department of La Paz (DLPZ), Bolivia, and asked how departmental-level policies can help to improve RSR, food security, rural livelihoods, and climate resilience in agricultural systems. Based on this analysis, I present recommendations to better understand the contemporary situation for producers in DLPZ, deliver technical assistance in new ways, expand demand for traditional products and smaller volumes of product, and further develop the pilot food systems models as tools for planning and policymaking. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I have many wonderful people to thank for their support over the last two years as I have immersed myself in research on food security in Bolivia. I would first like to thank Emily Broad Leib and Ona Balkus, who invited me to intern at the Harvard Food Law & Policy Clinic and subsequently supported my interest in working with Fundación Alternativas. This is where it all began. I would like to thank María Teresa Nogales, Founder and Executive Director of Fundación Alternativas and thesis committee member, for nearly two years of collaboration. Thank you, María Teresa, for nurturing my nascent interest in Bolivia; for sharing your expertise and enthusiasm for the work of food security and food policy; and for excellent communication and encouragement over Skype, email, and during my stay in La Paz. Along with María Teresa, I must thank Javier Thellaeche, Anabelle Gutierrez, Mariela Rivera Rodríguez, Rina Paredes, and Álvaro Calderón Rivera of Fundación Alternativas for welcoming me to La Paz, weaving me into the daily life of the organization, and becoming friends in six short weeks. I would also like to thank the community gardeners of Huerto Orgánico Lak’a Uta for being open to another foreigner in their midst. In particular, I must acknowledge gardener José Chambi for the stimulating conversations and for taking me to his rural hometown of Chulumani. The trip to Chulumani gave me a window into rural life in the Department of La Paz that I couldn’t acquire with any amount of reading. I also extend my gratitude to all the Bolivian iii stakeholders who shared their knowledge, perspective, and interests with me in interviews. This thesis was greatly supported by the guidance of my thesis advisor, Dr. Julian Agyeman of the Department of Urban & Environmental Policy & Planning (UEP) at Tufts University. Thank you, Julian, for having faith in my ability to take on an ambitious project and for helping me keep my eye on the social and environmental justice issues inherent in the work of food and agricultural policy. I am grateful for the advice and guidance of thesis committee member, Dr. Chris Peters of the Friedman School of Nutrition Science & Policy at Tufts University, whose expertise in food systems modeling and analysis was indispensable. Thank you, Chris, for supporting my aspiration to adapt your models to the Bolivian context, even when there were major data gaps. I would also like to thank my professors Dr. Barbara Parmenter and Dr. Sumeeta Srinivasan for their instruction in geographic information systems (GIS), and for encouraging me to troubleshoot and problem solve as I applied new skills in my analyses. There are too many to thank by name, but thank you to each of my professors at UEP and Friedman whose teaching has touched this work in small and large ways. Thank you to the Tufts Institute of the Environment for the funding that made this research project possible. Here, as in all my endeavors, my family and friends have been constant supporters, advocates, confidants, empathizers/sympathizers, and companions. Thank you especially to Mom, Dad, and Gann; to my UEP potluck family; to my iv climbing crew; to The Girls; and to Cobo. Thank you for helping to revise and edit fellowship applications and thesis chapters, for taking interest in my work, for encouraging me to seek balance and step away from my thesis sometimes, and for helping me celebrate the completion of this research. With my deepest gratitude, thank you all. v TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................... ix LIST OF FIGURES .................................................................................................. x CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION .............................................................................. 2 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW ....................................................................... 5 Food Security in Bolivia ......................................................................................... 5 Food Security by the Numbers ......................................................................... 5 Food Security and Nutrition .............................................................................. 7 Food Security and Urbanization ...................................................................... 10 Food Security, International Food Trade, and Food Prices ............................. 13 Frameworks for Food Security and Food Sovereignty ........................................ 15 The “Zero Hunger” Sustainable Development Goal ....................................... 15 Bolivian Legislative Framework for Food Sovereignty and Food Security ...... 19 Regional Self-Reliance and Food Systems Modeling .......................................... 23 Bolivian Targets for Food Sovereignty ............................................................ 23 Regional Self-Reliance, Foodprint, and Foodshed Models ............................. 24 Climate Change and Vulnerability Modeling ...................................................... 27 Climate Change Projections for Bolivia ........................................................... 27 Climate Change Vulnerability Models ............................................................. 29 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY ........................................................................... 36 Case Study .......................................................................................................... 36 Models ................................................................................................................. 37 Interviews ............................................................................................................ 38 CHAPTER 4: CONTEXT – THE DEPARTMENT OF LA PAZ, BOLIVIA ................. 40 Overview ............................................................................................................. 40 Geography, Topography, and Climate ............................................................... 41 Agricultural Production ........................................................................................ 46 Description of Producers ................................................................................. 46 In Contrast with the Department of Santa Cruz .............................................. 47 Crop Production in the Department of La Paz ................................................ 52 Livestock Production in the Department of La Paz .......................................... 53 Challenges in Production and Barriers to Marketing Goods ............................... 59 CHAPTER 5: FOODPRINT AND FOODSHED MODEL ....................................... 62 Objectives ........................................................................................................... 62 Methods .............................................................................................................. 63 Model Diet Definition .......................................................................................... 63 Agricultural Land Requirement Estimates ........................................................... 65 Regional Self-Reliance ......................................................................................... 66 Foodshed Calculations ........................................................................................ 66 Data Sources ....................................................................................................... 67 vi Results ................................................................................................................. 68 Agricultural Land Requirements of the Model Diet ......................................... 68 Regional Self-Reliance for Plant-Based Food Crops ....................................... 71 Regional Self-Reliance for Agricultural Land (Foodshed) ................................ 72 Limitations and further development .................................................................