Commercial Information and Advisory System for Agricultural Producers - Bolivia

This project allows farmers to gain access to information and knowledge on new markets for their produce. The project aims at increasing decision-making powers of producers. Project owner is the Bolivian Export Promotion Centre (Centro de Promoción de Bolivia - CEPROBOL), a professional executive institute under the Ministry of Foreign Trade. By presidential decree from October 2008, CEPROBOL was renamed ´Promueve Bolivia´ and reorganised. As did CEPROBOL before, Promueve Bolivia provides advice on export markets. The organisation has an important international network to promote exports. Furthermore, earlier projects at CEPROBOL – Promueve Bolivia invested in information systems (large-scale database on export markets, website and an advanced e-commerce platform). Yet, the organisation has hitherto focused exclusively on provision of services to larger exporters. Therefore the services were not accessible to small farmers. Earlier projects and funding agencies did not invest in training of project staff and in facilities and training of staff in the regions. As a result, the information is not reaching beneficiaries outside La Paz. Through the IICD project, the organisation expressed interest in expanding services to small producers. Individual end-users were reached through intermediary producer organisations and non-governmental organisations, which are eligible for free advisory services on potential export markets. A needs assessment has been conducted to identify the actual needs of the small producer groups. The advisory services of Promueve Bolivia are strengthened by means of enhancing ICT facilities and training of regional staff. Focus is on information sharing about conditions for exporting and potential export outlets of selected products.

The ICT Roundtable in Bolivia showed that ICTs are a component of significant priority for the planning and for the strategic performance of the productive sector. Thus, it is extremely necessary to endow the producers with a system that provides them with useful, timely and exact information to help them improve their production and strengthen their marketing position.

The Bolivian Export Promotion Centre Promueve Bolivia, an executive institute under the Ministry of Foreign Trade, started developing an initiative to enhance its market information services in the nine regional promotion offices since April 2003. Until present, CEPROBOL / Promueve Bolivia focused its information services exclusively on large exporters and agro-processing industries. Due to the involvement in the Roundtable workshop on agriculture, CEPROBOL / Promueve Bolivia is planning to open services to non-governmental and grass-root organisations serving small-producers. This way, the extensive export network of the organisation will become accessible to smaller producers. The services will focus on advice on existing and potential export markets for Bolivian products. The project has recruited and initiated training of head quarters project staff in the second half of 2003. Thanks to capacity development through the APCOB Multimedia project, part of the project team has received ICT training and can benefit from advanced ICT knowledge in the institution.

Read more about IICD's Bolivia Country Programme.

A large number of support services has been developed and a wide range of informative bulletins, both on paper and digital, has been produced and distributed during the project period. In addition, CEPROBOL / Promueve Bolivia has set up a knowledge base containing information on Bolivian exporters, country profiles, agricultural produce profiles, and other market intelligence. CEPROBOL has been present in a large number of national and international commercial events, and has facilitated the presence of potential Bolivian exporters in those events as well. In addition, information packages have been developed for the benefit of a large number of Bolivian embassies.

CEPROBOL has been discontinued by presidential decree as of October 1, 2008. The new organisation is called Promueve Bolivia. The organisational shift has also led to a reorganisation of personnel.
Promueve Bolivia is in independent continuation. There are no immediate plans for a new project phase on eCommerce within Promueve Bolivia.

Objectives are to develop advisory services: 1) proactive information services on export markets distributed via the existing database and website and monthly info bulletins and 2) reactive information services on request of users on export market access conditions and potential export outlets.

Target groups include exporters, companies and small farmers reached through intermediary organizations (NGOs, grass-root organisations). The targets include 220 exporters, 650 potential exporters, 360 companies and 10,837 producer families.

The project provides in an important information and knowledge gap for small farmers in Bolivia, who do not have access to knowledge on potential export markets. It also provides in bridging the gap between government services provided to larger scale companies and exporters on one side and small producers at the other side.

Analysis of monitoring and evaluation indicates that the 60% of the participating farmers feel more aware about the use of ICT and empowered to negotiate better with intermediaries.

Almost 50% of the farmers perceive a direct improvement in their income. Estimations of the increase in income are found around 10%, representing an increase in annual income of US$ 100.

Economic indicators show that the percentage of farmers perceiving impact were lower in 2007 than in 2006. A possible explanation for this decrease can be found in the effect of the current political, social and economic crisis that is affecting the country and that has had an enormous impact on the sector. On the other hand, political instability and environmental problems have compelled technicians to reduce their support to the producers and this has resulted in a lack of motivation, in fewer training opportunities and less communication for the provision of effective support to the producers.

Read more about IICD's approach towards Livelihoods.

Main risk of the project is whether the agency is capable of translating services hitherto provided to exporters into valuable services to small producers. Key will be the role of intermediary organisations who will have to use the project's services to assist small farmers.

Like in any other sector, users in the agricultural sector have benefited from training opportunities according to their particular needs. 73% of the users declare to be very satisfied with the quality of the training received. Technical support is particularly important for self development and, when asked about the project staff, 68% of them affirm to be very satisfied.

Projects provide for the development of a series of information services available to the users. 93% of them declare to be very satisfied with these services as the projects have enabled them to meet their objectives. Information about prices, about national and international markets and about new production techniques that have showed them how to become more productive are some of the services obtained through the Internet, through Very High Frequency/Ultra High Frequency radios, the local radio, the telephone and other forms of communication.

A high percentage of the users are not satisfied with the Internet service. Up to now, access has been very problematic and communication very limited. The Internet has not reached the communities yet, despite the efforts made by the projects. Connectivity costs are very high and impossible to sustain. And the users ask for the project technical staff to make more visits and follow up activities.

There is still a shortcoming that needs to be corrected and it is the participation of women in the projects. Only 30% of the users are women. This problem remains a very important challenge for the Bolivian programme.

The Bolivian Export Promotion Centre Promueve Bolivia, a professional executive institute under the Ministry of Foreign Trade, provides advice on export markets. It started developing an initiative to enhance its market information services in its nine regional promotion offices in April 2003. They invested in information systems (a large scale database on export markets, a web site and an e-commerce platform), yet focused their information services exclusively on large exporters and agro-processing industries and did not invest in training of project staff.