USDA IN BOLIVIA: FEEDING CHILDREN, FORTIFYING

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 LA PAZ 002730 SIPDIS SIPDIS USDA PLEASE PASS TO ERICA BELTRAN E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECON PGOV AGR FAO FAS IFAD IICA BL SUBJECT: USDA IN BOLIVIA: FEEDING CHILDREN, FORTIFYING LLAMAS, AND FATTENING COWS -------------- SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (SBU) Since 2005, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has donated about $7.3 million through NGOs to Bolivia. One program provides a daily hot meal to approximately 20%-25% of rural school children in the nation. The program has helped build school greenhouses, chicken coups, latrines, and more efficient wood stoves. Other programs target rural income generation through improvements in livestock management. Working directly with the current Bolivian Government however, has not been as fruitful. Of the over $6 million P.L. 480 funds that have been awaiting expenditure since 2005 (residual funds from the Title I program),only $46,000 have been dispersed. End Summary. -------------- FEEDING CHILDREN -------------- ¶2. (U) The project "Support Education" is run by Project Concern International (PCI). On September 18-19, EconOff, the USDA Regional Agricultural Counselor, a USDA Agricultural Specialist, and a FAS/Washington representative visited two community schools in rural Potosi and Oruro. The reception was terrific: community bands played, students sang and saluted, and weathered community leaders gave toothless grins of appreciation. In total, almost 200,000 children have benefited from the program across 2,500 schools. This translates into an impressive 20%-25% of rural schoolchildren who receive either a hot lunch or breakfast thanks to the USDA (This figure rises to between 45%-50% if only the states of the altiplano, where the program operates, are considered). Moreover, PCI has coordinated the construction of latrines, water systems, chicken coops, school greenhouses, and more efficient wood stoves. Before lunch, each of the children dutifully washed his/her hands and many proclaimed a strong affinity for the vegetables that came from the school greenhouses; the only vegetables visible in any of the altiplano villages. ¶3. (U) In addition to improving the school infrastructure, a major focus of the PCI project has been to increase the representation of girls at school. Indeed, since the inception of the project in 2002, graduation rates for girls from the grade school we visited had increased from 30% to 80%, thus reaching a parity with graduation rates for boys. A PCI representative reported this to be typical across the participating schools. They also pointed out that the project focused curriculum on such themes as gender equity, health and sexuality, environmental stewardship, and democracy. -------------- FORTIFYING LLAMAS -------------- ¶4. (U) With over two million llamas in the Bolivian altiplano, the PCI administers the MIS Llamas program which seeks to augment, and in several poor and isolated communities actually create, income through improved management of these traditional herds. Again and again, we listened to the farmers explain that before the project "we were sad and now we are happy." More specifically though, before the project llamas were sickly and thus undervalued, frequently died at birth, and did not provide much income to the communities. Through a series of simple actions, MIS Llamas has begun to successfully transform llamas into valuable commodities. ¶5. (U) MIS Llamas consists of four simple activities: 1) the building of covered corrals for nighttime shelter; 2) vaccinations and training village representatives for the task; 3) encouraging the revitalization of herds though the swapping of males; and 4) construction of fenced and irrigated plots of forage material for the herds. The LA PAZ 00002730 002 OF 002 results of these simple steps are remarkable. Mortality rates have fallen from around 30% to 10% and the average value of a llama has risen from $200 to $400. In a second phase of the project, PCI hopes to help market llama products (llama jerky, sausages, wool and leather) and further increase the use of private, irrigated forage areas as herd sizes are stressing traditional communal pastures. -------------- FATTENING COWS -------------- ¶6. (U) Tapping on its successes in Peru, USDA funds a program promoting the use of alfalfa as feed for dairy cows. The program has identified an appropriate species of alfalfa well-adapted for the harsh conditions of the altiplano. The plant goes dormant during the dry winter, but used as feed it can double milk production in dairy herds. In Bolivia, the program is administered jointly by the National Program of Seeds (PNS) and the NGO Save the Children. While meeting with a farmer's cooperative outside of La Paz, ambitious expansion plans were discussed to provide the growing market of La Paz with milk. (Note: Local health authorities have promoted the use of fresh milk after abuses were discovered in powdered milk distribution programs. End note.) Additionally, a local women's group thanked the USDA and the Save the Children representative for improving the health of their children. Good feelings were shared all around. -------------- P.L. 480 -- THE FUNDS ARE THERE -------------- ¶7. (SBU) The meeting of the P.L. 480 board on September 20th was less positive. Voting members of the board (A representative from the Ministry of Agriculture, the USDA Regional Agricultural Counselor, and the EconOff from the Embassy) decide how to distribute funds left over from the Title I program which ended in 2004. Currently there are over US$6 million available. The Board previously met in June and approved funding seven individual projects for a total of close to US$4 million. As of the September 20th meeting only US$46,000 had actually been spent (solely on one project to combat the Newcastle cattle disease). Moreover, due to concerns about providing funding to private entities, Ministry representatives reversed their approval of two of the seven projects. The other five projects are slated to move forward, but only after the approval of the Ministry of Finance. Unfortunately, these bureaucratic delays may also impact the alfalfa dairy program, as some of the P.L. 480 funds are slated to be distributed through the NPS for seeds. Government representatives were concerned that the program was not being adequately coordinated with other efforts the government was making for small business development. As of October 2nd, contacts at Save the Children said that the seeds had not been distributed and the ideal planting season will soon be past. -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶8. (SBU) While the USDA is funding popular and successful programs in the Bolivian altiplano through NGOs, the difficulty in dispersing available funds by the P.L. 480 board illustrates the frustrations many donors are currently experiencing partnering with the Bolivian Government. Following the board meeting, the USDA Regional Agricultural Counselor and EconOff met with the new Vice Minister of Agriculture Roxana Liendo. The meeting was a cordial and several training programs to help build institutional capacity were discussed. However, Agriculture Ministry officials worried that approval by the Ministry of Finance may prove more problematic. GOLDBERG