Landscapes of Possibility? Livelihood and Intervention in the Production of Andean Landscapes

The altiplano is the high plain of the Andes, located at altitudes upward of 3,800 m above sea level (Figure 1). Though an important center of pre-Incaic peoples, in modern times it has become something of a conundrum for organizations seeking to foster economic growth and reduce poverty. Some have, indeed, come close to all but giving up and have been tempted to argue that the regional economies of such high-altitude areas, and the livelihoods of people residing there, are simply not economically sustainable under contemporary political–economic and sociocultural conditions.