When discussing what the best alternative policy is for reducing the demand for a coca-based income within an Andean population, such as that of Bolivia, it is probably best to understand as stated by Franko, The Puzzle of Latin American Economic Development, "There are three markets for coca: traditional, for uses on medicine and folk remedies; licit, for markets controlled by governments for productions for cola and pharmaceuticals; and illicit production." (1998:P.287)
             Bolivian coca trade has been a huge economic income for the peasants in Bolivia, providing constant employment in this illegal sector, thus supplying them with sufficient funds for their basic necessities. It seems that one of the main reasons farmers grow the cocaine is simply for the amount of cash it makes them. This is shown by the article, The charms of coca, The Economist, "Like every peasant farmer in Bolivia's Chapare valley, Miguel Delgado knows he bottom line. Nothing, he says, earns more cash than coca. That is why he and his neighbours insist on growing the stuff-and why the local war on drugs is still raging with no end in sight." (1995:P.94)
             An advantage for farmers is that the cocaine crop is easy to grow and with a constant high demand for the crop from drug-traffickers, farmers will have a steady income.
             Many alternative crops that presently take up more land than cocaine have been offered for farmers to grow, as described by Leech, The Failure of Coca Eradication in Peru and Bolivia, http://www.colombiajournal.org/colombia38.htm, "Bolivian peasants who were forced to stop growing coca have been offered few economic alternatives," (2000:P.1). This shows that although few alternatives have been suggested, the crops would still provide a more reliable source of income in comparison to the coca leaf. Another advantage is that the crops would be legal. Some of these alternative crops are, bananas, tea, yucca, pi...