Changes

“''Before we had these farm ponds we could only farm in the wet season and everybody migrated to make money to survive. Now with these ponds we can work on our own land, year round, and we produce a surplus to sell at the market. These ponds give us hope for our community and children.''” said Máximo Gonzales in the April 1996 issue of the ILEIA Newsletter (Maita and Verweij 1996).

The first farm ponds in Bolivia date back to the 1980s, when ‘k’hochas’ (small water reservoirs that the farmers had dug) were enlarged with the help of heavy machinery. Rainwater is collected in these farm ponds, taking advantage of the runoff from the higher slopes or water from a nearby watercourse during periods of rain. The pond water is used for irrigation and keeping fish.