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In Bolivia, small farmers economic organisations (organizaviones ecónomicas campesinas - OECs) are increasingly being talked about as actors that could play a key role in channelling proposals and programmes for sustainable agriculture, in the context of market liberalisation and globalisation.But what are OEC’s? What is their function? How important are they to farming families? How do they influence production and marketing processes? What political role do they play?This publication addresses and answers these questions, based on four case studies in Bolivia: camelid farmers in the highlands of Oruro, an irrigation association in the high valleys of Cochabamba, dairy farmers in the highlands of La Paz and coffee producers in the Yungas.It therefore contributes both to knowledge of the OECs - their role and how they operate, their production processes, and their relationship with the people involved, the political field and market laws and dynamics - and to the debate on policies that work for small producers and their organisations, and how to implement them.