The Yungas is a region of Bolivia.
Understand
The Yungas region is a kind of earthly paradise that cannot be left except with deep nostalgia. As it descends from the high plains of the altiplano, the mineral landscapes give way to a more colorful flora, intoxicating perfumes and waterfalls that seem to fall from the sky. Farther in, the vegetation thickens even more, until it has the characteristics of a virgin forest.The land of these valleys is very fertile and generous. An important variety of fruits and vegetables are cultivated here that feed and supply the highland populations. Melons, mangoes, papayas, bananas and coffee grow in abundance amid parrots and monkeys, and coca, of course, since its cultivation in this area is traditional. In the heart of these valleys, the magnificent towns of Coroico and Chulumani are found, welcoming travelers in their placidity. These towns, in which modest colonial houses appear lost among fruit trees and fragrant jasmine, constitute a place of rest. ideal in the midst of an idyllic setting in which mosquitoes are practically absent, the Yungas also offer numerous possibilities: 4X4 excursions, hikes, unprecedented mountain bike rides, rafting down the river, or simply high-level laziness.
farming
Bolivia lives essentially on the resources of its soil and subsoil, even if only 4-5% of the territory is the object of any kind of exploitation. Agriculture is one of the most traditional activities and, despite the significant rural exodus, this sector It still employs about 45% of the economically active population. We can distinguish two main types of crops: In the Altiplano, the traditional crops of the Andean regions: potatoes, quinoa, corn, barley. From the Yungas to the great plains of the East. , passing through the intermediate valleys of Cochamamba and Tarija, we find tropical crops: soy, sugar cane, rice, coffee, cocoa, citrus, cotton ...
Only certain crops, which are highly successful for export, are promoted and their production is stimulated. The most significant example is quinoa, called here mother seed, the symbolic food of the highlands par excellence. Cultivated for more than 5000 years. This plant (which is not a cereal!) can grow to heights of more than 4000 meters and requires little water, this ensures its adoption by the population of the highland regions. Increasingly appreciated, in Europe especially (just go to the nearest supermarket to realize it), quinoa has experienced spectacular growth in its demand from abroad in recent years. To such an extent that production has been multiplied by 4 in 4 years. The phenomenon has become so important that it is said that Bolivia would have to resort to imports to satisfy its internal needs.
Coke
Another emblematic crop of the country, coca, has an opposite destiny and places Bolivia in a difficult contradiction.
On the one hand, its consumption is an ancient tradition in the Altiplano, where this small green leaf is sacred and has always been appreciated for its virtues (coca allows better resistance to effort and reduces the feeling of hunger, it is recommended to counteract the effects of altitude. In infusion or chewed, the coca leaf is not hallucinogenic, its effects are merely exciting, comparable to those of coffee). The cultivation of coca continues to be authorized, mainly in the Yungas region (valleys semi-tropical only a few hours from La Paz), and Bolivia is currently one of the rare countries where one can obtain the leaf freely (including a market and a museum have been consecrated to him in La Paz) .This production is, however , subject to the quotas corresponding to traditional consumption. Do not be surprised if someone offers you a coca tea when you arrive in La Paz or if you cross into the Altiplano peasants, drivers or miners, with a ball of leaves under your cheek.
On the other hand, there is the problem of the cultivation of the leaf destined for the production of cocaine. From the 70s / 80s and with the explosion of the demand for drugs in North America and Europe, the Chapare region (located between Cochamamba and Santa Cruz) has become one of the largest production centers of coca leaf and its derivatives in South America, this has had the effect of putting the country in the eye of the DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration), an organ officer with a double mission: to persecute drug traffickers and supervise the eradication of the coca plant in South America, the foregoing in collaboration with local authorities The anti-drug forces have required extraordinary means, total determination and an energetic presence accompanied at times by the resource to brutality (several massacres took place in this region during the 80s), to force the cocaleros (producers of the famous leaf) to abandon most of the Chapa plantations re for the benefit of alternative crops. Officially, well understood ... The problem of coca / cocaine symbolizes the difficulty that Bolivia has to integrate at the same time its heritage, with the perversions of a modern world from which it feels despised. As many observers indicate, without a doubt, this question It cannot be resolved as long as it is only the cultivators who are demonized.