This project, funded by the Liechtenstein Development Service (Liechtensteiner Entwicklungsdienst) and implemented by the Stiftung ECOTOP, brought environmental education und Dynamische Agroforstwirtschaft (DAF) into the daily lives of young people across Alto Beni und Palos Blancos, Bolivia. Through hands-on school gardens, youth training programs, and a new agroforestry curriculum, the initiative helped students and young farmers better understand nature, food systems, and the role they can play in shaping a more sustainable future.
At its core, the project aimed to strengthen environmental awareness among young people. Through strong partnerships with schools and communities, the initiative made sustainability a living, breathing part of daily education.
Key achievements included:
• Introduction of a Técnico Medio specialization in Agroforestry, enabling high school students to pursue ecological farming as an academic and vocational path.
• Establishment of DAF Islands in schoolyards: small, biodiverse learning plots where students gained hands-on agroforestry experience.
• Creation of school food gardens to connect nutrition, ecology, and food sovereignty.
• Delivery of interactive environmental awareness workshops tailored for students and teachers, fostering curiosity and responsibility for nature.
• Launch of the Plataforma Agroforestal Bolivia – a digital hub offering open-access learning materials, agroforestry guides, and real-life stories for educators, students, and practitioners.
These achievements helped bring sustainability education down to earth—making it practical, personal, and powerful for the next generation.
To complement the work in schools, the project launched a one-year Peritaje in Dynamic Agroforestry — a certified technical training program for young people interested in sustainable agriculture. Delivered through both fieldwork and classroom instruction, the course helps participants understand how DAF systems work and how they can be applied in diverse farming contexts.
Accredited by the Universidad Católica Boliviana “San Pablo” – Unidad Académica Campesina Carmen Pampa, the Peritaje professionalizes agroforestry knowledge for youth and offers real career opportunities in ecologically sound farming.
Through collaboration with educational authorities, a new agroforestry curriculum was introduced in public secondary schools. The curriculum aims to build both ecological awareness and technical skill.
Students explore topics such as:
• Biodiversity and species interaction
• Soil fertility and the role of organic matter
• Healthy food systems and ecological nutrition
• The basics of agroecological planting systems and farm design
By helping students understand the connections between food, farming, and ecosystems, the curriculum nurtures environmentally conscious thinking from a young age.
The project supported the installation of DAF Islands—diverse agroforestry demonstration plots established directly on school grounds. These spaces became powerful tools for experiential learning.
Students and teachers used them to:
• Observe natural processes like plant succession and biomass cycling
• Practice agroforestry techniques like pruning, spacing, and soil improvement
• Explore the value of biodiversity for food production and ecosystem health
• Develop a hands-on connection with the environment and local food systems
These DAF Islands turned schoolyards into outdoor classrooms—where environmental education became real, rooted, and tangible.
To ensure long-term access to knowledge, the project launched the Plataforma Agroforestal Bolivia
🌐 https://plataformaagroforestalbolivia.org
This open-access platform provides:
• Practical manuals, teaching guides, and agroforestry resources
• Case studies and testimonies from young practitioners, teachers, and technicians
• Visual tools to support both classroom education and field application
• A growing library of resources for schools, universities, and rural communities
It serves as a national reference for agroforestry education, supporting both digital learning and community knowledge exchange.
This project focused not on restoring landscapes—but on restoring the relationship between young people and the natural world. By giving students, pupils, and young farmers space to explore agroforestry, the initiative sparked curiosity, built knowledge, and planted the seeds of environmental consciousness.
From school gardens to certified training programs, it showed that youth are not just future leaders—they’re already leading the way toward a more sustainable Bolivia.
