I have now left the busy La Paz for a tropical, tranquil village called Sapeco, located in the area around which the cocoa farmers have their plots. Carrying out my interviews, I am surprised at how much the farmers care for the environment. Everything they grow – citrus, cocoa, mango, coco, potatoes of different colors and a lot of other fruits and vegetables that I have never tried before – are grown organically. Many tell me they would never buy products that had been grown with chemicals. In an area near by organic coffee is grown and sold to turists in bigger cities. Many of the farmers I talk to are worried about climate change. They say that the climate has already changed to the worse lately. An explanation as to why they worry so much is a huge campaign lanched by the United States about saving the environment in Bolivia. Logging is still a big problem in the country – but an asset for many of the cocoa farmers. Growing scarse trees on their plots is a really good investment. In fact, it is better than saving money in a bank account and has low initial costs.
About 5 hours with bus further into the Amazonas is the city of Rurembaque- a place with a lot of oportunities for eco-certified turism. A visit to a national park is one of them. If I have time I will definetly go there.
/Cecilia Holmgren
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