My name is Roxana Argandoña. I come from the Chapare province in the Cochabamba department of central Bolivia. I have lived in the Chapare most of my life. In the past, its hills and vegetation generated a tropical climate, but logging and deforestation have made it much drier. There also used to be fewer people here, and they were all locals. Over time, people from other parts of Bolivia started colonizing the area. Even the coca has changed: The plants we grew used to be healthier, and there were bigger yields. We would wrap them in blackberry and banana leaves and carry the harvest to local markets on foot. Traders bought coca from us for next to nothing. The market was smaller then, and the money we earned was only enough for us to feed our families. Now, prices are much higher, and we supplement our income with other crops....
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