The document presents a review of rural poverty, the environment and global economic processes in Bolivia, which is part of a global study to identify research themes for the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Rural Poverty and Environment Programme Initiative. It is intended that the study will identify action orientated research themes and potential research partners and implementers of research outputs. The country study was also aimed at validating results generated from a regional scan of the Central Andes region carried out during the early part of 2006.