Abstract

ANDERSEN, Lykke E.; CARDONA, Marcelo  and  ROMERO, Daniela. Do irrigation programs make poor rural communities in Bolivia less vulnerable to climatic and other shocks?. rlde [online]. 2015, n.24, pp.9-46. ISSN 2074-4706.

Using a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods, this paper evaluates the effectiveness of Bolivia’s national irrigation programs -PRONAR and PRONAREC- in reducing the vulnerability of agricultural communities. We propose two practical indicators to measure vulnerability, and develop an explicit Theory of Change that not only explains how irrigation systems are expected to reduce vulnerability, but also highlights where things might go wrong. We then make a propensity score matched difference-in-differences estimation that compares the change in vulnerability of households in cantons that have benefitted from irrigation projects during the period 2002 to 2012, with the changes in similar households in cantons that have not benefitted from one of the national irrigation programs. The quantitative analysis is complemented by a qualitative analysis based on interviews and focus groups with past and present program officials and program beneficiaries in the highlands, the valleys and the lowlands of Bolivia.

Keywords : Vulnerability; resilience; adaptation; irrigation; Bolivia.

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