Oxfam is supporting a project in Bolivia to revive an ancestral farming technique called camellones that was used by early cultures to farm sustainably in the flood-prone Beni region. Camellones are elevated ridges surrounded by canals that allow crops to be grown even during floods. Oxfam helped a community build experimental camellones and plant crops. Initial results are promising, with the harvests expected to be shared communally. If successful, camellones could help local farmers better cope with regular floods and droughts while protecting the environment.

1. BENIBOLIVIA
MARCH-APRIL 2008
Making a
difference
CAMELLONES:
AN ANCESTRAL FARMING
TECHNIQUE
CAMELLONES An Ancestral Farming Technique //
01

2. A technique of the
past that brings hope
for a better future
Floods and droughts are the reality that the
inhabitants of the department of Beni, in the
Northeast of Bolivia, must face almost every
year. Oxfam is helping the local population to
prepare adequately for this reality. One project
supported by Oxfam aims to revive an ancestral
technology to produce food in a sustainable
manner which is suitable to the local climate.
TRINIDAD: THE CITY OF PERENNIAL RAIN
T
he city of Trinidad, capital of the Bolivian department of Beni, is located in a tropical area in the heart
of the Amazon basin, a green sea, which covers almost one third of South America. Trinidad’s 120,000
inhabitants are employed mainly in farming and raising livestock - two activities that have made Beni a
centre of agriculture for all of Bolivia.
BENI
Trinidad -
This is a region with a great bio-diversity, and it is also very warm, both climatically speaking and in the
human sense. ”We live very well here” commented a cafeteria worker, “there’s no violence like in other
places, and we try to work and progress”.
Trinidad, like other cities in Beni, has another peculiar characteristic: it is regularly covered by floods as a
consequence of the annual rains1. Normally, rivers and lakes overflow, covering roads and affecting crops
and farmers. Because of this, Trinidad is fenced by dams, much like the ones protecting Holland from the
advance of the sea.
However, in February 2007, the existing dams were not enough to save the city from the unstoppable rise
of the water. The same thing happened in February 2008; Trinidad, as well as the rest of the region, was
completely flooded. In a few hours thousands of families were affected, losing their homes, their crops, and
their livestock.
1 Indeed, the annual floodings occur throughout the Amazon, for periods of two to three months and are part of a cycle that
maintains the vitality of this ecosystem. This phenomenon occurs throughout the entire Amazon, flooding between 15% and 50%
of the territory - from January to March of each year - depending on the intensity of rainfall, topography and location across the
length and breadth of different streams of the Amazon Basin.
ÓSCAR SAAVEDRA
Researcher of Beni, Bolivia
02 //www.oxfam.org.uk
Trinidad´s 120,000 inhabitants are dedicated mostly to farming and
raising livestock - two activities that have made Beni a centre of
agriculture for all of Bolivia.
CAMELLONES An Ancestral Farming Technique //
03

3. OXFAM’S PRESENCE
A
fter the floods of 2007, Oxfam, together with other non-governmental organizations worked to give
immediate humanitarian aid to those affected by flooding. At the time two camps were set up to attend
to the needs of 13,200 people; providing them with fully equipped temporary shelters that complied with
international standards. Domestic animals were also provided for with a purpose-built temporary shelter,
which included veterinary assistance from an NGO called SOS Animal.
From the logistical point of view “it was really very hard”, says Roger Quiroga, Oxfam’s Humanitarian
Officer: “We had to mount the whole structure in the midst of torrential rain. There were some nights when
the staff felt like crying, but we finally did it…in a record time of 13 days”.
During four months the camp was a place of hope for those who had lost everything to the floods. It was a
safe place to get over the shock and to try to get organized for the future, which at the time seemed quite
uncertain.
It was thinking of the future, and of the fact that floods are part of a natural process in the region, that Oxfam
- while continuing to provide humanitarian aid to the emergency zone - initiated a program to prepare for
natural disasters.
The issue is simple: people must receive immediate help in order to survive disaster. But, what happens
later, when they return home to their fields and have to face the harsh reality of having to rebuild, many
times from scratch? Moreover, how can we guarantee that these people will be better prepared to face
this phenomenon in the future, without having to go through the same bitter experience?
I
t was in this context that an
ancestral technique sprang back to
life bringing with it vital information to
ensure a better future.
ANCESTRAL KNOWLEDGE, WELL BEING FOR TODAY AND TOMORROW
This part of the story begins with the flights that Roger Quiroga made over the area to assess the extent of the damage caused by the floods of
February 2007 in Beni. Roger became aware of the existence of an intricate set of interconnected lines, canals, islands and lakes, which stretched
out geometrically over an area of 1,000,000 hectares (the equivalent of one million football fields).
Roger set out to investigate these logical patterns, apparently built by human hands, which were reminiscent of the extraordinary figures of the Nazca
lines in Peru. Eventually, the humanitarian officer met Oscar Saavedra, who had been studying the region for years, continuing the research of his
mentor, the North American scientist Kenneth Lee.
According to Lee and Saavedra, long before the Spaniards arrived in this part of the “New World”, there had existed in the region an ancient and
advanced culture - known as the Great Patititi or Great Moxos - who understood the dynamics of the nature of the region and found a way to make
the most of the floods and droughts that regularly affect Beni, and implemented an agricultural system that guaranteed permanent crops, regardless
of the weather conditions.
ROGER QUIROGA - Oxfam’s humanitarian officer
04 //www.oxfam.org.uk
It was thinking of the future, and of the fact that floods are part of a natural process in the region,
that Oxfam - while continuing to provide humanitarian aid to the emergency zone - initiated a
program to prepare for natural disasters.
The cycle of life is a cycle of a history, and from the past we obtain vital
information to ensure us a better future.
CAMELLONES An Ancestral Farming Technique //
05

4. NATURE AS AN ALLY
I
n order to accomplish this, the people of this culture developed a sophisticated system of hills, canals, dams, and lakes
which served to provide extensive farming areas in elevated ridges, currently known as “camellones”, as they had the
appearance of the hump on a camel’s back.
... the oldest hills were
built in approximately
1200 BC
This system allowed local populations to survive in an area subject to constant
floods, preserving their agricultural production. Members of this culture inhabited
natural and artificial hills that now stand out against the flat horizon of the region.
An intricate network of canals and dams was created to serve as a means of communication
between the hills, to control the flow of water, and to generate enough organic material to enrich
the “camellones“ and ensure permanent agricultural production.
“According to archaeological data, the oldest hills were built in approximately 1200 BC”, explains
Saavedra. “Kenneth Lee estimated that almost 5,000 linear kilometres of embankments or dams
extend throughout the Beni region. Each can be between 4 and 8 metres wide and nearly 1.5
metres high; the longest one extends 60 kilometres and crosses hills, plains, and rivers.”
All this knowledge was lost and the “camellones“ system was abandoned when the civilization that
developed it disappeared around the XIth century. Several theories have attempted to explain its
disappearance. The most accepted theory links it to a large-scale climatic disaster, maybe an “El
Niño“ phenomenon of huge proportions.
“The civilization that existed here long ago was aware that the secret to having
permanent production was not in the soil, which is quite poor, but in the water.
This is why they invested so much time and money into understanding how
the drought and flood system worked and adapting it to get the most from this
dynamic”
Oscar Saavedra explains Roger Quiroga
K
enneth Lee studied the “camellones“ system for many years and believed they could
be reproduced in the present to help the population deal with climatic conditions in a
sustainable manner. When the scientist died, Oscar Saavedra picked up where he had left off.
A PRODUCTIVE SYSTEM
There is a museum in Trinidad that carries the name of the American scientist. There, a group of volunteers led by Oscar has implemented a replica of a
“camellones” system in order to discover how they work and implement them in local communities.
Alter 16 years of research and six years of practical experience, Oscar Saavedra discovered that in order to make “camellones” sustainable there must be
a balanced co-relationship between their size and height and the depth and length of the canals surrounding them. This will allow the development of ideal
conditions for aquatic plants and fish to multiply, which will, in turn, generate the biomass that will serve as fertilizer for the planting area in the “camellones”.
“It is an ingenious system which ensures the transfer of the water’s energy and fecundity to the soil”, explains Oscar. “The civilization that existed here long ago
was aware that the secret to having permanent production was not in the soil, which is quite poor, but in the water. This is why they invested so much time and
money into understanding how the drought and flood system worked and adapting it to get the most from this dynamic.”
When Roger Quiroga became acquainted with the details of the story he suddenly saw the huge potential this offered in the work that Oxfam was trying to
develop in the region to help the local population prepare for natural disasters.
camellones:
sophisticated system of hills, canals, dams, and lakes
which served to provide extensive farming areas in
elevated ridges.
“Our permanent challenge in areas like this is to ensure that the population will be
able to face natural dynamics in such a way as to minimize the effects of disasters
like the one of February 2007. Droughts and floods are a part of the region’s reality,
one that is repeated practically every year, as the ancient inhabitants well knew, and
we must be ready to face them”, says Roger Quiroga.
CAMELLONES An Ancestral Farming Technique //
07

5. “I was curious from the start because we were told that
our ancestors were able to harvest this way in spite of the
floods. I wanted to see if it really worked, and now I’m proud
to see the fruit of our efforts”
YENNY NOZA, habitant of Loma Suárez
A PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE
I
n view of all of this, Oxfam has decided to support Oscar Saavedra`s initiative in the implementation of an initial experiment
which reproduces the “camellones” system near the Loma Suarez community, located 12 kilometres from Trinidad.
There, the local population, encouraged and guided by Oscar Saavedra, and with equipment loaned by the local government,
established four “camellones” surrounded by a miniature canal system, and planted banana, sugar cane, yuca, and
pineapple. It is expected that they will be harvesting their first crops by March 2008. One interesting aspect of this is
that these “camellones” are the result of communal work and that the crops and the benefits they generate will be
shared equally by the 50 families that make up the community.
When the community residents learned the details of the project their initial reaction was of surprise and
scepticism, but as they found out it was an ancestral tradition, they felt proud.
Martha Barba Ruiz, a community leader, explains that the initial reaction of most residents was wariness;
few believed that the system would actually work. However, in the face of the advance of the project,
and its initial results, their doubts melted away.
08 //www.oxfam.org.uk
“At the beginning of the proyect, many people didn’t trust in it, but when
they observed the development of the program and its first results, the
initial doubts disappeared.” MARTHA BARBA RUIZ, a community leader
“W
e are more than pleased with the results. The entire community has benefited and soon we
will have a common area to produce the seeds we need to plant our fields. Other communities
come here to learn about our project. They love it and are eager to implement it as well.”
A BETTER FUTURE
Yenny Noza has a small farm in Loma Suárez, and remembers how she lost all her production in the
floods of 2007. Thanks to a donation of seeds from Oxfam, Jenny was able to re-plant her fields and is now an active participant in the “camellones” community
project. “I was curious from the start because we were told that our ancestors were able to harvest this way in spite of the floods. I wanted to see if it really worked,
and now I’m proud to see the fruit of our efforts”.
As Oscar Saavedra puts it “this system creates a balance between the flood and drought seasons that regularly affect the Beni region, allowing residents to adapt
to the reality of nature, rather than defying it. This has been questioned by several scientists, but here we are proving that it does work for the situation in Beni.”
If this experiment is successful, as initial results seem to prove, Roger Quiroga and Oscar Saavedra believe that the “camellones”
technique could be applied to similar regions, and even in more adverse climate conditions. It could be a feasible way to
reduce the risk of disaster.
“It is fascinating that a technique that had been forgotten for so long has been rescued and can now be used as a sustainable
solution for the inhabitants of this region, who have always had to face the problems generated by climatic cycles. We believe
that in the future other communities will become interested in replicating this initiative”, says Roger Quiroga.
CAMELLONES An Ancestral Farming Technique //
09

6. “This Project demonstrates
that solutions often lie in the
traditional knowledge and
culture of the indigenous
population. All Oxfam did
was to acknowledge that the
answer lay there and dare to
“innovate” using a technique
which dates back hundreds of
years ago. By promoting the
communities´ own capacity
to deal with both floods and
droughts, the Project can
contribute to a sustainable
solution to safe-guard the
vulnerable local population and
their livelihood”.
A
s the camellones system felt into disuse, the most common method to prepare the soil, since colonial
times, has been to clear the fields through burning, which destroys natural forest resources, pollutes
the environment, and has negative long term effects on the soil. The following chart compares average
production using both systems (burning out and camellones.
CUT AND BURN
CAMELLONES
Corn: 1,400 kilograms / hectare
Corn: 5 thousand kilograms
Yuca: 9 thousand kilograms / hectare
Yuca: 25-30 thousand kilograms
Production starts to decrease in three years due to
soil impoverishment
Production continues indefinitely because the soil
is “fertilized” with water.
PREPARATION AND PREVENTION IN THE FACE OF DISASTER
I
n order to help the local population to be better prepared for future emergency situations, such as the ones of February 2007 and 2008, parallel to its
humanitarian aid actions, Oxfam has been developing prevention and preparation programmes.
The former has the support of ECHO (European Union Humanitarian Aid office), while the latter is financed by the European Union. Both programs seek to
prepare the community authorities, and local organizations so that they can deal with future natural disasters effectively.
As a complement to these, Oxfam has decided to create a new program - using its own resources as well as other funds - with the objective of implementing
projects that benefit the community in three strategic areas: distribution of drinking water and basic drainage, livelihood for the vulnerable population, and a
program for incidences and campaigns.
Roger Quiroga, of Oxfam, explains: “The idea is to have a pool of successful initiatives that can be quickly implemented by communities to ensure that they are
effectively prepared to deal with future humanitarian crises. Oxfam’s support to the “camellones” project fits within this strategy”.
SIMON TICEHURST
Oxfam GB´s Programme Manager in Bolivia
10 //www.oxfam.org.uk
Oxfam has decided to create a new program - using its own resources as well as other funds - with the objective of
implementing projects that benefit the community in three strategic areas: distribution of drinking water and basic
drainage, livelihood for the vulnerable population, and a program for incidences and campaigns.
CAMELLONES An Ancestral Farming Technique //
011

7. OXFAM GB
O
xfam GB is an independent NGO thatworks with organizations,communities and
groups of people in more than 80 to find lasting solutions to poverty and suffering.
Oxfam GB was founded in Oxford (England) in 1942 and has been developing programs
in South America for more than 40 years. It currently has offices in Brazil, Bolivia, Chile,
Colombia, and Peru.
Oxfam works at various levels, (ranging from local to global) executing humanitarian
and development programs, public campaigns, and advocacy work. These combined
activities are implemented to strengthen each other and to produce the necessary
changes to eradicate poverty in a permanent and sustainable manner.
Oxfam GB is a member of Oxfam International, a confederation of 13 independent
organisations that work together with 3,000 local organisations in more than 100
countries, to find lasting solutions to poverty, hunger, and injustice.
Oxfam GB is an independent NGO that
works with organizations, communities
and groups of people in more than
80 to find lasting solutions to poverty
and suffering.
More on Oxfam GB in www.oxfam.org.uk
On Oxfam International: www.oxfam.org.
Edition and design: LZC Imagen y Comunicación - Text: Renato Guimarães/Oxfam Photos: Jane Beesley/Oxfam and archive images by Óscar Saavedra
South America Regional
Centre
Av. Salaverry 3361, San Isidro.
Lima 27, Perú
Teléfono: (+511) 264-2255
Fax: (+511) 264 2627
Email:
Sudamerica@oxfam.org.pe
012
//www.oxfam.org.uk
Web: www.oxfam.org.pe/sam
In Brazil
National Office:
Rua Dr Silva Ferreira 122
Santo Amaro, CEP 50040-130
Recife-PE
Tel: +(55-81) 3231-5449
Fax: +(55-81) 3221-5319
Oxfam GB is a member of Oxfam International – Registered Charity no. 202918.
Email: recife@oxfam.org.br
www.oxfam.org.uk/brazil
Ca paign and Advocacy
Office:
SCS Quadra 08, Bloco B Nº 50,
Sala 401, Edificio Venancio 2000
CEP: 70333-900 Brasília, DF
Tel: +(55-61) 3321-4044
Fax: +(55-61) 3323-8552
In Bolivia
Av. Hernando Siles No. 5826
Obrajes (Zona Sur)
La Paz - Bolivia
Tel: +(591-2) 278-8323 /
214-7965
Fax: +(591-2) 278-8319
email: oxfambol@oxfam.org.bo
Web: www.oxfam.org.uk/bolivia
In Chile
Av. Providencia 929, 5º piso
Comuna de Providencia
Santiago - Chile
Tel: +(562) 264-2284 / 264-2772 /
email: oxfamchile@oxfam.cl
Web: www.oxfam.org.uk/chile
In Colombia
Diagonal 35 No. 5A-90
Bogota - Colombia
Tel: + (57-1) 288 2781
Fax: + (57-1) 327 0180
Email: oxcolomb@oxfam.org.co
Web: www.oxfam.org.uk/colombia
In Perú
Calle Baltazar La Torre 906
San Isidro Lima 27 - Perú
Tel/Fax: +(51-1) 264-1223
Email:
programa_peru@oxfam.org.pe
Web: www.oxfam.org.uk/peru