For decades migrant communities from the high plateau have been driven by poverty to settle in the tropical lowlands along the western rim of the Amazon basin, where they are left to eke out a living from the land. Poor farming techniques and lack of capital drive a vicious cycle of soil depletion and slash and burn, leading to devastating rates of deforestation, loss of biodiversity and noticeable changes in local weather patterns - increased flooding in the wet season and prolonged drought in the dry season, with attendant human suffering.

The ArBolivia project emerged from 5 years of research and development (2002 - 2007) together with local communities and their representatives with funding from the FAO to produce a community based solution.

ArBolivia is currently providing professional land management advice to almost 1,000 smallholders and covering a combined area of approximately 20,000 hectares. ArBolivia introduces new crops and new farming methods which are both more efficient and more sustainable, thus improving the immediate living standards of the farmers and reducing the need for further clearing.

In addition ArBolivia requires farmers to designate specific areas on their holding to commercial forestry parcels, selecting from 18 different native species, as well as new conservation areas. This will provide families with a further source of additional and sustainable revenue for the longer term.

This also helps reduce deforestation and improve biodiversity.