Abstract
To create employment and income and to promote economic development, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) invests in ground and surface water development and soil and moisture conservation in the uplands of Cochabamba Department, Bolivia. The investments are intended to strengthen Bolivia's legal agricultural economy and are part of the global counter-narcotics strategy of the United States Government. At ten case study sites, the conservation programs created rural employment and income, often in significant amounts. These results varied by program: For a given amount of funds, soil and moisture conservation created smaller, often significant increases in employment and income to farmers in larger numbers, whereas the improvement of small traditional surface and ground water irrigation systems created larger and significant employment and income increases to many fewer farmers. All soil and water conservation investments generated large development impacts, were attractive uses of scarce economic development funds, satisfied donor institution lending criteria, and appealed to the area's practical farmers.