Urban Agricultures, Climate Change and food security: Responses in northern and southern

cities.

Case study: Municipality of Trinidad Beni - Bolivia

Biggest cities during 50

Biggest cities during 80

Biggest cities during 09

Cities wich double population in 10 years

Climate Change and Agricultural Production

Bolivia

Rural Population Expected to Increase in Spite of Rapid Urbanization in Beni

1. Access to water

2. Soil Fertility

3. Game-Fish ~50% Kcal, ~15%

income

4. Commerce

5. Transportation (poor road

infrastructure)

(FAO)

Why Communities Settle near Rivers?

5 Good Reasons:

Can Agriculture and Pisciculture provide

sustainable livelihoods in Urban and Peri

urban areas?

• Tens of thousands lineal km of causeways and

Canals (Erickson, 2000)

• 20000 Occupation mounds (between 0.5 and 13

hectares or more) (Lijerón, 1997)

• 1M hectares of raised cultivation fields,

platforms and mounds (Lee, 1995)

• 350.000 hectares of geometrically oriented

ponds (Barba, 2003)

Guesstimates of the Moxos Landesque Capital.. A GREAT DIVERSITY OF

ECOTONES: RESILIENT BY DESIGN

Soil Carbon Storage in Chinampas

Experiments in Beni.

Impacts of diversification on income

• Growing average incomes (reduced losses)

• Reduced income variance (and risk)

• Incorrelated or inverseley correlated incomesCurrent Situation Territorial Adaptive Management

Ene FebMar AbrMay Jun Jul AgoSep Oct Nov Dic Ene Ene FebMar AbrMay Jun Jul Ago Sep Oct Nov Dic Ene

Conclusion

• Urban people have a lot of things to learn from rural people, more inagriculture.• Don’t loose the chance to recover ancestral knowledge.• There is always an important alliance between local governments and non gubernamental initiatives.• Climate changes affect more the most vulnerable, urban agriculture is also incomes for the poorest.• Always try to promote appropriate technology South-South.• Fresh food for the people.• Make it simple and will be replicable.