Reason for hope

THIRTY YEARS OF COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION IN BOLIVIA


Class presentation, Sustainable Development Economics, 

Prof. Dr. Edwin F. Shinn (Colorado State University) 

October 25, 2005

The Centro Para el desarrolo socially economico, widely known as DESEC, is a Bolivian nongovernmental organization (NGO) set up over 30 years ago to support pleasant cultivators, initially those located in the rural region of the Cochambamba valley. Despite the much awaited reform in land right, most pleasant ended up owning as little one to three hectares of cultivable land per family and were, by and large, not supported in their quest for a better life.

In 1963, against this background, DESEC war formed by a group of young Bolivian professionals, under leadership of Juan Demeure. They set himself the task of assisting of the pleasant sector and of promoting the participation of pleasant. With these took action on two boards fronts; promoting and consolidating peasant organizations at the local and regional levels, and providing support services to assist these organizations.

DESEC’s work has reached more than 1.000 rural communities that have a combined population of some 50.000 families. They currently work with 250 peasant organization diverse programs related to agriculture, livestock, forestry, artisan production and community infrastructure.

They understand that process of local self management (and its counterpart, the withdraw of the support agency) after making a number of mistakes. Because of that cause they also started to network with international agencies and domestic institution-banks, technical institution and government agencies-  in a new triangular relationship that has given a wider scope to our activities.

Organizing the peasants into group that could then be encouraged and supported to take up activities for social and economic advancement. DESEC’s initial staff was composed of young Bolivian professionals who were self motivated and idealistic without being politically bound. They also had been active in evaluating rural development project on behalf of external financing agencies.

DESEC has taken special care that our promoters maintain a subsidiary role in relation on the communities elected leaders, strengthening their roles and never substitute for them. The formation of people’s organization first at the community level. To arrange for coordination among the village groups, establishing associations of village level organization is encouraged at zonal and regional levels. DESEC also support the effort by arranging for complimentary funds and more important by providing training and technical and managerial advice. The mix skill, experiences, self confidences, mutual responsibility and economic volume operations- a critical mass- need to be attained by the people and then incorporated by them into organizational procedures.

With the establishing support agencies ASAR was set up to extend assistance in the agriculture and livestock sectors. Its functional include providing technical assistance, extending credit, supplying inputs, producing and providing improved seeds and making arrangements for marketing the procedure. The program impacts are felt over a much wider area as farmer have rushed, either as individual group, to take advantage of the new technology. The Instituto campesino de education (ICE) has been working since 1967 to provide training in organization and administration. (VIPO)  and (SEPSA) to support house construction and health.

Scaling up with triangular program for livestock and sheep rearing between DESEC, government agency and FAO. The program has strengthened capacity for livestock improvement and allowed to have some influence in national policy making insofar as the livestock sector is concerned.

The activities of local organization and DESEC support agencies are regularly monitored and evaluated. The oversight and self correction activities have improved over the years. Formal monitoring and evaluation force to make detailed analyses of project and to gain a clear definition of the objective, expected outcomes, associated activities and indicator of success.

ADVANTAGES

1. promoting and consolidating peasant organizations at local and regional levels
2. providing support services to assist these organizations
3. work with broad area such agro forestry, livestock production, farming,
4. Since DESEC was formed, a number of other voluntary action groups also set up.
5. Have support agencies and each performing a particular function.
6. Monitoring and evaluation with self correction activities to improve the system.

DISADVANTAGES

1. As lead consortiums DESEC often abandons initiatives cancellation to the donor funds.
2. Waiting for the applicable funding and some case lost the opportunities.
3. Too much in expansion sector from farming, livestock, etc make not focused and difficult to member in rural.
4. Too much area of operate make not easy to control the quality of working and service.
5. Building the organization and skill difficult since the there specialized activities.
6. Local self management makes some mistake in operation.

 

 

INDONESIA CONSIDERABLE APPLICATION

1. In Indonesia the peasant organizations are the lowest in organization society always made as political effort and left behind, no bargain power to the government or to trading association, less money, less capability, less creative thinking. If the way of DESEC fit and applicable to the peasant organization in Indonesia since the part of promoting and consolidating peasant organizations at local and regional levels still out from they reach.