To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the previous land use of areas now planted with soya beans under the World bank's lowlands programme in Bolivia.

Up to 20 or 25 years ago the land was largely unsettled and forested. The agricultural uses to which the land was put after settlement and clearance were based on short-term returns, with little consideration for sustainability of the environment. Decline in fertility and weed growth encouraged further expansion of the cleared area.The eastern lowlands project is intended to support agricultural production, including soya beans, by technologies which are both economically attractive and environmentally sound. The intention is to reduce the pressure for further clearance of forest areas.