Slash and burn methods used by colonist farmers in Bolivia are unsustainable and degrade soil, forest and bio-diversity resources. In 1994, the Natural Resources Institute (NRI, UK) and the Centro de Investigación Agrícola Tropical (CIAT, Bolivia) tried to identify ways of making the present farming systems more sustainable and productive. A participatory approach on farm trials combined with researcher managed trials, case studies, participatory surveys and rural appraisals were used to validate technical options, including combinations of novel perennial crops, leguminous cover crops, agro forestry mixtures and small livestock. Effective technology options were developed but before resource-poor farmers could use them they needed information and technical support. In Bolivia, colonist farmers have very limited financial resources, infrastructure is rudimentary and social cohesion is poor. These factors hamper the dissemination and implementation of research results.
