Towards a New Articulation of Alternative Development: Lessons from Coca Supply Reduction in Bolivia

Once heralded as the success story of coca supply reduction, Bolivia is now witnessing an increase in coca cultivation. Even as coca fields in Bolivia were forcibly destroyed in the past decade, new fields were being planted elsewhere, leaving coca production in the Andean region at a roughly constant level. This begs a rethinking of alternative development programmes, the policies being rendered ineffectual by the increasing use of force. This article seeks renewed momentum for alternative development by gleaning lessons from its earlier failures. Moreover, it suggests a new articulation of alternative development that emphasises the socio‐economic cause of coca cultivation – the demand by the rural poor of Bolivia for income and food security.