Location: Bolivia
About: Francisco and his community have reintroduced a 3,000 year old method of farming to protect against rising water levels
Photo: Mark Chilvers
Read a summary of this in Arabic, Bengali or Farsi
Francisco is vice-president of his community in Bolivia. Flooding here is severe. In 2008 the waters reached their highest levels for 50 years.
The community has re-introduced camellones - large raised platforms of land on which to plant their crops. Last used 3,000 years ago, this ancient tradition protects seeds and crops during floods.
Francisco says: "We decided to farm the camellones as a community rather than individually because we all need seeds and food. When we work together, we can move forward together. Now, even if there is a flood, we are able to continue."
Camellones, or ‘camel humps’ are raised platforms of land on which crops are cultivated. They are man-made, arranged in a parallel layout, and surrounded by water channels. The relationship between the water and the camellones revolutionises the soil quality, resulting in a better, longer-term supply of food. And because the land is raised, crops are protected during floods – a vital step forward in the flood-prone Bolivian region of Beni.
Camellones are 60-100m long, 10-20m wide and up to 2m high and are high enough to protect the for crops and seeds, even during a flood. The camellones system, last used 3,000 years ago, is being re-introduced as a way of improving food security in five Beni communities (and potentially elsewhere), even as the effects of climate change are felt. In Copacabana, the camellones are inspiring the community to build a better future together.
In the first stage of the process, farmers are taught to grow a range of white and yellow maize, yucca or cassava, papaya, plantain and various vegetables – but it’s possible to farm any crops that usually grow in the region. The water that gathers in the channels (including residual flood water, which in the camellones system actually becomes a boon during the lengthy dry season) creates an ideal level of humidity and delivers a consistent supply of nutrients to the soil, so crop quality and quantity both increase.
Soil fertility also improves over time. Traditional land farming lasted between two and four years, or until the land becomes unproductive, then the farmers move to a new land which is slashed and burned to create a farmable area.
The camellones system therefore enables people to eat a better diet and to grow enough to sell. It also means a food supply can be guaranteed during a flood – an enormous benefit in an area where flooding in 2007 and 2008 forced thousands of families from their homes for up to three months. And it even has the potential to reduce deforestation, as people no longer need to cut down trees to create new farmland.
The flood of 2007 was severe, destroying crops and ruining people’s livelihoods. But when the waters returned in 2008, they reached the highest level for 50 years, affecting 120,000 people – a quarter of Beni’s population – and caused more than £119m of damage. Many people were forced from their homes for several months and relied on the local government to provide food. The effect on crops was devastating, but seeds that had been planted on the newly-built camellones survived, suggesting that the faith in the system wasn’t misplaced.
Evidence of 3000 year old camellones – strips of land, natural dykes and raised mounds where people and animals would live during floods – still pepper the savannah landscape in Beni. Only recently, however, have geologists pieced together how the system worked, and begun to consider its contemporary potential.
Country climate reference: Bolivia: Climate change, poverty and adaptation, November 2009. Oxfam International in Bolivia.
Why don't you get involved with a campaign? Check 
for ideas...
Farmers in Loma Suarez use a canoe to cross the water surrounding the camellones. Photo Mark Chilvers
Members of the community silhouetted in the water surrounding a camellone. Photo Mark Chilvers
Marta Barbara, on her camellone. Photo Mark Chilvers
Rafael Crespo working on his camellone. Photo Mark Chilvers
