SID-Bolivia Wins World Bank Development Marketplace Competition

Washington, DC - May 26, 2005

SID-Bolivia has won the World Bank's Development Marketplace competition for innovative ideas in international development! Late in the afternoon on May 25, Abraham Borda, SID's National Director for Bolivia, accepted the award from James D. Wolfensohn, President of the Bank.

SID-Bolivia's project, "Competing to Reclaim Eroded Soils and Pastures," was among 78 finalists who presented their projects in the Atrium of the World Bank's main building on May 24 and 25. Two panels of judges from the World Bank and other development institutions reviewed and evaluated SID's proposal and presentation. Michael Wright, Director of Conservation and Sustainable Development at the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, said, "There was a lot of talk about your project, and there was considerable interest among the judges. We were all very impressed."

Of the 78 finalists, only 31 projects were selected as winners, a significant accomplishment since there were originally over 2,600 proposals. This earns SID-Bolivia a spot among the top 1% of projects that were entered.

SID's innovation uses "competition among communities" to mobilize participation and improve the results of rural development projects. In Bolivia's case, competitions help farmers adopt practices that reclaim eroded land and increase income. Competitions achieve 90% participation in rural communities, and in just 3 to 5 years farmers more than double production levels and have an income increase between 42% and 64%.

Over 1,200 families in 40 communities in Umala will benefit from this new competition, reclaiming at least 2,000 hectares of pastureland, increasing productivity, and increasing income by at least 30%.

See a complete list of Development Marketplace winners on the World Bank's website
(SID-Bolivia's project, "Competing to Reclaim Eroded Soils and Pastures," is #5117.)

SID-Bolivia Wins World Bank Development Marketplace Competition

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