Sustainable innovation to cope with climate change and market variability in the Bolivian Highlands

This study explores how sustainable innovation and the collaborative learning process can contribute to resilience in the Bolivian Highlands, as a response to shocks caused by climate change and market variability. Specifically, we focus on the collective, localized, and embedded efforts of three rural communities. The communities under study participated in a mixed top down-bottom up collaborative learning system, which relied on indigenous knowledge, local institutions, and inclusive participation to promote innovation and inclusive development. We used a transaction cost approach based on semi-structured interviews of various stakeholders, and community observation to measure the benefits and costs of participating in the collaborative initiative. The main findings show a strong effect in (1) the reinforcement of a collaborative system as a means to promote grounded and inclusive innovation and (2) the reduction of transaction costs in production and commercialization for the participant producers and their families. Time constraints at the household level, due primarily to outmigration, were identified as a major factor for failure.