Does alternative development really have a strong effect on the reduction of coca fields?
The first alternative development projects were implemented in the early 1980s. Almost twenty years later, the results of the projects have been extremely effective in eradicating coca fields and actively maintaining the purposes and goals of alternative development. In 1988, Peru was the worlds largest producer of coca leaf with 110,400 hectares, followed by Bolivia and Colombia with 48,900 and 34,000 hectares, respectively. As a result of intense alternative development projects in Bolivia and Peru, their coca crops decreased to 14,600 and 34,200, respectively, in the year 2000. However, because of the coca decrease in these two countries, there was an increase of up to 163,289 hectares in Colombia. So in effect, the reductions achieved in Bolivia and Peru were neutralized with the growth of cultivation in Colombia. Overall results register a significant decrease in all three countries, however, it is Bolivia that shows the most substantial decrease in coca production.
