Settlement in the Santa Cruz Area: A Proposed Program for the Development of an Area with European Immigrants and Bolivian Indians

Authors

Ernesto Wende-Frankel, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

First Advisor

C. Clyde Mitchell

Date of this Version

8-1955

Document Type

Thesis

Citation

A thesis presented to the faculty of the Graduate College in the University of Nebraska in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree of Master of Arts

Major: Agricultural Economics

Under the supervision of Professor C. Clyde Mitchell

Lincoln, Nebraska, August 1955

Abstract

Introduction

This study involves conceptual analysis in a broad interpretation of the term of a public administration problem situation embracing cultural, as well as politico-economic factors. A program ot action is recommended in considerable detail, calling tor the settlement of colonists to develop agriculturally a large amount of Bolivian land that promises to become, with proper husbandry, highly productive.

The author is a Bolivian agricultural economist who is making public administration his career, with particular emphasis upon the efficient utilization or land--and manpower, which for sometime past in his native country has been poorly organized and under employed. During the preparation ot this study at the University of Nebraska, tha author was on leave from a planning-administrative position with a joint United States-Bolivian technical assistance agency.

Given the precent state of social statistics in Bolivia, basic data concerning the human problems involved are almost nonexistent. Consequently, assertions as to the nature and extent ot the problem situation are made with little support except tor the impressions ot a "generalist" in social studies. These impressions were gained over a period or several years of intensive study in an operational position--that of extension economist. The author felt, however, that experience ot planners and administrators in other problem areas, particularly those with agricultural settlers of low educational level, would provide factual data which could give insights into the Bolivian problem. To that end, he visited two settlement areas in the United States, considered by personnel in the U.S. agencies sponsoring his graduate study to be most representative ot problems in Bolivia. These were the Gees Bend Project for Alabama Negro farmers, and Indian Reservations in New Mexico and Arizona. Even at these projects, he found a paucity ot social science data--the administrative personnel operating the projects have, as is usually the case, been too fully occupied with day-to-day "emergencies" to devise records that would have been most valuable tor this author's analysis. They, too, have boen social science generalists, deciding many important questions on the basis of common sense, including intuition.

There exists a considerable body of published material with regard to agricultural development programs in various countries, The author discovered that most of these documents were likewise short on dependable statistical information, but contained valuable insights or a "generalist" nature into problems common to these areas and Bolivia. In particular, Indonesian and Philippine experiences have been very useful.

From the broad variety of material, the author has developed proposals tor solving, through a program of socioeconomic development, one segment of Bolivia's agricultural problems.

The present study is divided into three sections. The first and second parts provide physical and social background information of Bolivia. A knowledge of the country and its cultural traits is necessary to understand some of its agricultural problems.

The third part of this study is concerned with a detailed description of a suggested settlement program with Bolivian, Indian, and European immigrants. Each of the numerous aspects considered in this section could, of course, constitute a wide field of study by itself.

Advisor: C. Clyde Mitchell