Abbreviation CIPCA Affiliations Jesuit, Catholic Founded 1970 | Main organ Mundos Rurales Website CIPCA | |
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Established 1970; 47 years ago (1970) Location 2706 Vincenti, Sopocachi
La Paz, Bolivia | ||
Center for Research and Promotion of Farmers (CIPCA) was founded in Bolivia by three Jesuits in 1970 to seek the most effective ways for farmers to pursue structural development and to become a part of one social fabric in the country.
History
Three members of the Society of Jesus – Luis Alegre, Xavier Albó, and Francisco Javier Santiago – founded CIPCA. It took shape gradually through the initiatives of a group who worked together without any sophisticated planning. Documents, files, and books related to its early development disappeared during the dictatorship of Garcia Meza (1980-1982), although several people risked arrest and torture to save them. After 1987 CIPCA became more institutionalized as the indigenous, rural population received more recognition in the socioeconomic structure of Bolivia.
In 1994 CIPCA was recognized as an autonomous non-profit under the Society of Jesus, with rural development as its purpose: the indigenous peasant economy, organization, leadership, and political rights; issues of land, territory, and natural resources; gender, intercultural, and social participation issues. CIPCA combines research with action and local work with national networking. As years passed CIPCA worked extensively with indigenous peasant organizations to facilitate their contribution to governmental and social change and to influence public policy. Its central office is in La Paz, with regional offices in Altiplano, Cochabamba, Cordillera, Santa Cruz, Beni, North, and Pando. CIPCA has helped obtain land titles for indigenous communities for over 400,000 hectares in the Beni Department.
Its current activities include facilitating organizational efforts such as the following. In April 2015, a training module on "State Transformations and Constituent Process", dealing with democracy and intercultural social control, was introduced at Immaculate Parish in Uyuni under CIPCA's school leadership personnel. In April 2016 the producers in Pando Department received government ministers at a meeting and presented to Minister Cocarico a draft Law on Integral Development of the Amazon. In April 2016 the Guarani nation held a National Assembly at the La Colmena Parish facility in Monteagudo and paid tribute to the Guarani leader Apiaguaiki Kicksey, with the participation of 29 zonal captaincy and departmental councils of Santa Cruz, Chuquisaca and Tarija to approve a new statute and have elections.