Background
Bolivia is highly vulnerable to climate change, with growing impacts on food security, ecosystems and rural livelihoods. These risks are particularly pronounced in cocoa agroforestry systems in northern La Paz, where seasonal drought and water stress reduce productivity, while erratic and intense rainfall accelerates soil erosion and nutrient loss. Soil degradation further reduces the ability of these systems to buffer water variability, making rural livelihoods increasingly vulnerable. More than 7,500 smallholder cocoa-producing families across Bolivia are affected by these challenges.
Cocoa production also generates residual biomass, particularly cocoa husks and pods, which is often left underutilized. Transforming this biomass into biochar presents an opportunity to restore soils and improve water retention while creating a more circular use of agricultural residues. However, adoption of biochar in Bolivia remains at an early stage, with limited adaptation of technologies to local conditions, a lack of validated technical protocols, insufficient capacity among producers and institutions, and limited technical and financial evidence to support a sustainable operational model. These barriers limit the integration of biochar into climate adaptation programmes and its scaling beyond isolated pilot projects.
CTCN Support
Through the CTCN technical assistance, Bolivia will adapt and validate biochar technologies produced from cocoa residues for application in cocoa agroforestry systems in northern La Paz. The support will include a technical and territorial assessment, field pilots under local conditions, evaluation of effects on soil water retention and cocoa productivity, and the development of validated protocols for biochar production, management and application.
The technical assistance will also strengthen the capacity of producers, technicians and institutions to apply the validated approaches and develop an operational and financial model and scaling strategy for a local biochar supply chain. This will support the sustainable provision of biochar as a service or input and establish a pathway for wider adoption and potential future investment.
Expected Outcome
The technical assistance will strengthen the capacity of public, technical and producer organisations in northern La Paz to produce and apply biochar as a climate adaptation measure for cocoa agroforestry systems, supported by validated technical evidence and protocols. It will also establish an operational and financial model to enable the sustainable provision, scaling and wider adoption of biochar as a service or input for cocoa producers.
Seeking experts
The CTCN invites qualified experts and firms to submit Expressions of Interest (EOI) to participate in this initiative. For further information on this opportunity, visit the UN Global Marketplace (UNGM) or the UN website. Deadline for applications: 10 September 2026.
If you are not yet a member of the CTCN Network, you can apply to join here.
