TECHNOLOGY AND RURAL-DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES IN A SMALL FARMER ORGANIZATION - LESSONS FROM BOLIVIA FOR RURAL POLICY AND PRACTICE

At a time when public sector agricultural and rural development admini stration is changing quite profoundly, and when farmer organizations a re being asked to assume more significant roles in rural and agricultu ral development, in-depth analysis of these organizations is an import ant input into policy and programmatic discussions. This article is an analysis of one type of small farmer organization, a regional economi c organization called El Ceibo in Bolivia. It is one of the most succe ssful cases of small farmer organization around technology generation and product transformation and marketing in the Andes. El Ceibo has be en able to open new markets for its products, adapt product transforma tion techniques appropriate for these markets, and develop technology in support of its marketing strategy. Factors favouring Ceibo's succes s include long-term financial and technical support from external agen cies, isolated location, and a cash/export crop specialization. The im pacts of Ceibo are significant, although it is not clear how far Ceibo 's activities foster a more broadly based regional development in the Alto Beni area. The article also compares the strategies and impacts o f economically based organizations such as El Ceibo with those of more traditional, representative and politically oriented small farmer org anizations.