Sustaining Agropastoralism on the Bolivian Altiplano: The Case of San José Llanga

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Chapter 08: Conclusions and Recommendations

Here we review brief summaries by chapter and then derive some integrated conclusions across chapters. Recommendations are presented with respect to further research, outreach and policy consideration. Because several years have passed between the end of our field work and publication of this synthesis volume, we end with an epilogue that highlights changes and key events that happened at San José Llanga (SJL) and with collaborating institutions in Bolivia between 1996-9.https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/sustaining_agropastoralism/1007/thumbnail.jp

Agropastoralismo Sostenible en el Altiplano Boliviano: El Caso de San José Llanga

Como la cultura, el ganado, la innovación técnica y las conecciones rurales/urbanas influencian la habilidad de una sociedad para enfrentar la sequía y los cambios económicoshttps://digitalcommons.usu.edu/usufaculty_monographs/1052/thumbnail.jp

Versión Condensada en Español

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Complete Document

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Chapter 03: Ecology and Natural Resources of San Jose Llanga

Development and change in traditional societies is strongly affected by interactions between humans and their natural environments. Management practices used by most low-input, rural societies represent an amalgamation of technologies, social rules and organisational structures that have been tested over time and found suitable for sustainable exploitation of resources. In many cases, however, changes in population, social values, market opportunities, government policies or technology alter a delicate balance between humans and sustainable resource use. Given these critical relationships, a thorough knowledge of the biophysical environment is essential to comprehend and attempt to improve low-input production systems such as SJL. Our overall purpose in this chapter is to characterise the environment and natural resources of the Cantón of SJL. This is accomplished in two steps. First the climate, surficial geology, hydrology, soils and vegetation are described. Descriptions include brief accounts of land use (i.e., cultivation, grazing, fuel wood collection, etc.) for broadly defined geomorphic units. Second, an analysis is presented concerning selected aspects of ecosystem dynamics at various spatial and temporal scales.https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/sustaining_agropastoralism/1002/thumbnail.jp

Chapter 05: The Grazing Livestock of San José Llanga: Multiple-species Resource Use and the Management and Productivity of Sheep

The main objective of the joint IBTA/SR-CRSP project in Bolivia was to assess the overall role of small ruminants in the ecological and economic sustainability of an agropastoral system. Prominent was a mandate for us to investigate: (1) Whether small ruminants were important contributors to environmental degradation; and (2) whether there were feasible improvements in management that could mitigate negative impacts of small ruminants on natural resources and increase efficiency of animal production (see Chapter 1: Project objectives and research approach). These issues are important in light of recent controversy concerning environmental degradation of the world’s rangelands. On one hand people and livestock are blamed (Sinclair and Fryxell 1985; Cloudsley-Thompson 1988) while on another hand climate, or change in climate, is cited as a key factor (Rasmusson 1987; Ellis and Swift 1988). If livestock are not to blame then efforts to de-stock traditional pastoral systems could be in error (Behnke and Scoones 1991).https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/sustaining_agropastoralism/1004/thumbnail.jp