1. The Dilemma of Coca:
A Local Resource Exploited for
International Abuse
Skylar Kraatz
November 2014
Political Ecology of Developing Landscapes Project
SFS – Peru – Directed Research Fall 2014
Abstract
This paper investigates the dependency of poor, rural Amazonian communities in
Peru on the crop coca, and on the international economy of cocaine. It does so by
exploring the development of coca in Peru and current economic situations,
particularly in the rural district of Kosñipata in the Cusco region. This paper finds
that the rural communities that depend on the coca and cocaine economy are
susceptible to poverty, exploitation, and environmental degradation. However,
without a plan for healthy economic development, the dependency on coca will
continue.
S c h o o l f o r F i e l d S t u d i e s P e r u : V i l l a C a r m e n , P i l c o p a t a , C u s c o , P e r u