NCJ Number
146794
Date Published
1993
Length
76 pages
Annotation
This analysis of crop substitution programs in Peru, Colombia, and other Andean countries concludes that transferring money into areas that have no economic base other than narcotics crops has failed to have a positive effect in the effort to reduce drug abuse.
Abstract
The analysis notes that coca cultivation, despite a decline in coca prices since the mid-1980's, continues to be an attractive proposition for farmers due to the secure profit it offers. In contrast, most competitive cash crops require several years to mature, are expensive to handle and transport, and have markets that may not fulfill expectations. Farmers have adopted successful strategies to remain coca producers even when governments have pressured them to change to legal economic activities. The outlook for crop substitution appears particularly bleak in Peru and Columbia. Therefore, crop substitution appears to offer political rather than economic benefits in that these programs function as useful negotiating tools in dialogues with coca producers and can improve the image of the national government and the United States. However, the best hope for reducing coca in the Andes lies in enforcement measures that depress coca prices and wear down farmers and development programs that promote solid growth throughout the national economy. Crop substitution is not a promising strategy for reducing coca cultivation in the Andes. Tables, figures, reference notes, and maps