BOLIVIA

Abstract and Main Features

The Estrategia Nacional de Agroecología (ENA) – National Agroecology Strategy in English- is a comprehensive public policy framework developed by the government of Bolivia to guide the transition toward sustainable, inclusive, and resilient food systems based on agroecology. Rooted in the constitutional and ethical principle of Vivir Bien, and the concept of living in harmony with Mother Earth, the Strategy addresses the urgent ecological, social, and economic challenges posed by conventional agriculture and climate change. It aims to strengthen agroecological practices across Bolivia’s diverse agroproductive zones by promoting biodiversity, food sovereignty, gender equity, and territorial governance. Through eight strategic objectives and a participatory, multi-actor approach, the Strategy seeks to transform Bolivia within the ambitious five-year timeframe into a regional leader in agroecology, ensuring healthy ecosystems and dignified livelihoods for present and future generations. 

Some of the main features of this Strategy include: 

• Integration of indigenous and ancestral knowledge with scientific and technical innovation. 
• Alignment with Bolivia’s Constitutional principle of Vivir Bien and with international commitments such as the Agenda 2030, the Paris Agreement, the Convention on Biological Diversity and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Peasants (UNDROP). 
• Strong commitment and specific action to reduce gender and generational gaps. 

Objectives 

The main objective of this Strategy is: “In five years, agroecological food systems strengthen and contribute to Vivir Bien through the socio-ecological resilience of life systems through comprehensive development in harmony and balance with Mother Earth.” 

 Eight strategic objectives were elaborated: 

1. Research and innovation: Building institutional capacity to co-create knowledge and advance agroecology research, strengthening food system transitions across regions. 
2. Capacity building: Integrating agroecological food systems into education and enhancing technical and management skills for effective transitions. 
3. Agroecological management of agricultural production and wild harvesting: Implementing sustainable practices to provide food while restoring biodiversity, soils, and water cycles. 
4. Guarantee systems: Strengthening certification and traceability to reliably identify national agroecological products for local and export markets. 
5. Markets and consumption: Consolidating local markets and supporting producers in accessing international markets. 
6. Financing and incentives: Expanding access to public and private funding, especially for small-scale, women-led, and youth ventures. 
7. Governance and territorial management: Promoting participatory, inclusive management of agroecological food systems at the territorial level. 
8. Gender and generational equity: Creating socio-economic opportunities to reduce gender and generational gaps through agroecological systems. 

Key Target Groups  

Bolivia’s National Agroecology Strategy explicitly addresses several key target groups, in particular: women, youth and older adults. To support them, the Strategy carefully outlines several actions and initiatives including the launch of training modules to empower their actions in agroecological production and promoting intergenerational dialogue, organizing campaigns for public awareness, including gender experts in project teams and enhancing incentives and financing mechanisms to facilitate access for women and youth to land tenure in rural areas. Moreover, the document innovatively makes a small mentioning of including also non-binary people in the awareness-raising processes about gender equality. 

Expected Results 

Some of the expected outcomes this strategy is expected to deliver are the following: 

• Establishment of a Plurinational Research and Innovation Agenda. 
• Strengthened agroecological transition and production in different areas of the country, taking into account specific regional ecological and social features. 
• Establishment of financial services specific for the agroecological sector and strengthen public and private funding. 
• Integration of agroecology into the national education system with updated curricula and trained educators. 
• Establishment of a multisectoral and inclusive monitoring and evaluation system to assess the effects of the ENA. 
• Creation of agroecological field schools for women and youth in each agroproductive zone. 
• Restoration of biodiversity, soil health, and water cycles. 
• Improved climate resilience, reduced surface temperatures, and increased carbon sequestration while lowering greenhouse gas emissions. 
• Strengthened guarantee systems: in particular, traceability and fiscalization systems of agroecological products. 

Strategy Development Process 

The planning for this strategy was carried out through a highly inclusive and participatory process with a bottom-up approach led by a Comité Impulsor gathering the Ministry of Rural Development and Lands, CSOs, indigenous and farmers organizations, private sector actors, producer organizations, academia, technical cooperation entities (via the Comité de Cooperación). The consultation process involved national and regional meetings (September/December 2024), technical roundtables (February/March 2025), a review workshop (April 2025), and a launch and validation workshops (December 2024 and April 2025). 

Ministries and Stakeholders Involved in the Process 

• Government Ministries such as the Ministry of Rural Development and Lands, the Ministry of Environment and Water, the Ministry of Productive Development and Plural Economy, etc.)
• Subnational and regional authorities. 
• CSOs and Producer Organizations: Asociación de Organizaciones de Productores Ecológicos de Bolivia (AOPEB), Movimiento Agroecológico Boliviano (MAB), Plataforma Nacional de Suelos (PNS), Plataforma Boliviana de Acción Frente al Cambio Climático (PBACC), Red de Organizaciones de Productores Agrícolas y Forestales de Bolivia (ROPAF), Association of Ecological Producers with PGS (ANPESPG), etc.
• International and Non-Governmental Organizations: United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), World Food Programme (WFP), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Instituto Interamericano de Cooperación para la Agricultura (IICA), Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale (GIZ), HELVETAS Swiss Intercooperation, Centro de Investigación y Promoción del Campesinado (CIPCA), Fundación AGRECOL Andes, Ayuda en Acción, Practical Action, Fundación ACLO, PROSUCO, HUMUNDI,Fundación PROINPA, PRORURAL, etc.)

Implementation 

The implementation of the Strategy is led by the Ministry of Rural Development and Lands, and three types of stakeholders are responsible for its implementation: the federal government, subnational governments, and territorial actors. It also involves a multiministerial committee, local governments, and non-State actors such as producer organizations and civil society. Territorial implementation is carried out through local committees, and the strategy is supported by multiple programmatic frameworks outlining strategic actions and initiatives, correlation between the main objectives of the strategy, and specific entities responsible for each line of action and its relative outcome. The overall assessment and programmes of the Strategy are overseen by a participatory monitoring and evaluation system. 

Budget and Funding 

The estimated budget for implementing the strategy’s objectives is Bs 440.886.301,76 (approx. USD 63.339.332,56). 

Funding for the implementation of this strategy is identified from some of the following resources: 

• Allocations from the General Treasury of the Nation to co-responsible entities at the Federal and subnational government level. 
• Mobilization of resources with environmental, climate, and sustainable development funding lines such as the Green Climate Fund and the Global Environment Facility. 
• Specialized funds such as the Adaptation Fund and the International Climate Initiative. 
• Bilateral partners with international policies promoting agroecology and biodiversity in the Global South (particularly Germany, Sweden, and Spain). 
• Mobilization of resources from the private sector and philanthropic initiatives. 

N.B. This summary did not receive an official review from the Bolivian Ministry of Rural Development and Lands.

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