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In October 2010, I spent 2 weeks in Bolivia learning about their food and agriculture. I ended up getting a lot more than I bargained for out of the trip, including learning why the rainforest is being destroyed, how eco-tourism might save it, how Bolivia fits into the drug trade (and what the US does to try to stop cocaine production), and how global warming has already impacted Bolivia.
On our seventh day of the trip, we drove through a coffee-growing region. This is a just simple photo diary with pictures of the town.
My trip was organized by Global Exchange and Food First. You can find out about future Food Sovereignty tours at the link. |
| Previous diaries in this series:
Pre-Trip Blogging:
The Trip:
- Day 1: La Paz and First Impressions
- Day 2, Part 1: Photo Tour of Tiahuanaco Ruins
- Day 2, Part 2: Tiahuanaco agriculture
- Day 2, Part 3: Traditional Dancing
- Day 3, Part 1: DDT for Sale
- Day 3, Part 2: My Host Family in Santiago de Okola
- Day 3, Part 3: Indigenous Foods & Tour of Santiago de Okola
- Day 4, Part 1: Traditional Weaving
- Day 4, Part 2: Agriculture in the Andean Highlands
- Day 4, Part 3: A Day in an Indigenous Village
- Day 5, Part 1: From the Andes to the Amazon
- Day 5, Part 2: Slash and Burn Agriculture 101
- Day 6, Part 1: Slash and Burn Agriculture in the Amazon
- Day 6, Part 2: Which Crops Grow in the Amazon?
- Day 6, Part 3: A Day with an Indigenous Community in the Amazon
- Day 7, Part 1: Agroforestry in the Rainforest
- Day 7, Part 2: Cattle Ranching in the Amazon
- Day 7, Part 3: Rainforest Destruction in Bolivia
- Day 7, Part 4: The Most Biodiverse Golf Course in the World
- Day 7, Part 5: The Motacú Palm
We left Rurrenabaque to visit a town called Sapecho in Bolivia's top chocolate-growing region. In Rurrenabaque, I had purchased a bag of coffee called Cafe Mujer. The bag claimed to be both fair trade and organic (I think), but without any of the familiar U.S. certifications, all I could do was trust. At any rate, the coffee was so cheap, they were practically paying me to take it. I pay $11 per pound for my coffee at home. The bag of Cafe Mujer was 25 Bolivianos, or about $4.
As we drove to Sapecho, we passed the Pilon Lajas Biosphere Reserve and drove up into the mountains. Good coffee requires elevation. Daniel, whose farm we had just visited, was in the same car as me, and he pointed out the town that produces Cafe Mujer. He said they likely have a bit of extra wealth from their coffee, and perhaps some of the families own cars as a result. I did not get any sort of in depth look at the lives the people of the town lead, but it certainly did not look like anyone there was wealthy. And this town is the beneficiary of a fair trade program (for at least the segment of their coffee sold under the Cafe Mujer brand). If this is fair trade, what does unfair trade look like?
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