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Evan Meyer
La Paz, Bolivia
I currently live in La Paz, Bolivia, where I've worked for the past six and a half years.
For the past several years I've worked as an independent consultant for different local and international development organizations, working with them on using participatory approaches to promote sustainable natural resource management as well as increase citizen participation.
My work includes designing training programs, facilitating team self-evaluation and learning processes as as well as leading participatory evaluations.
I have also started up a handicrafts website to sell Bolivian handicrafts. We're just in the beginnings but ideally I would like for the site to serve as a venue for high quality fair trade handicrafts produced by small scale and organized artisan groups
Recent Activity
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Evan commented on the article |I think when we talk about Coca we can't use generalities and should be more nuanced. Coca is a sacred leaf in Bolivia aind Peru, but in Colombia it's an introduced crop that is cultivated strictly for cocaine production. In addition, in Bolivia and Peru, part of the coca grown in these countries is for transformation into cocaine.
I live in Bolivia and here the cocaine trade has managed to stay relatively peaceful in comparison to Colombia and Mexico. Coca production has increased dramatically over the past several years, well beyond justification for local consumption for cultural use, that is for chewing the leaves and medicinal purposes.
People should know that coca production comes at a cost. Coca grows in sub-tropical and tropical areas and the expansion of coca production, mainly for transformation into cocaine, translates into destruction of primary forest habitat. In addition, cocaine laboratories located in areas where coca is produced contaminate rivers and water supplies with the toxic chemicals used to convert coca into a paste. This pollution poisons animals and humans consuming water from these rivers. Finally, there is a slow increase locally in the consumption of coca paste.
Evo, while admirable in standing up the US, has failed to do the same with his own constituents. His background is a coca union leader. Evo has been reluctant to have these unions stick to agreements on limiting coca production. He is a difficult bind to halt what's going on in fear of alienating his base of support. The question is whether increased coca production and cocaine processing will have the same consecuences here as has ocurred in other countries tightly linked to the drug trade. High rates of violence and organized crime.
Another issue we should address before legalization is the emptiness people must feel in the US and Europe to be consuming cocaine. What's going on in these rich societies?
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