The methodology for estimating coca cultivation was based on the interpretation of satellite imagery of coca fields, supported by extensive field verification and geographical information system (GIS) tools. The survey found that 23,600 hectares (a hectare is 2.47 acres) were being used for coca cultivation in Bolivia as of December 2003. This represented approximately 15 percent of the world coca cultivation, placing Bolivia far behind Colombia and Peru in coca cultivation. The overall estimate of 23,600 hectares includes 12,000 hectares permitted by Bolivian law for traditional uses such as leaf chewing, medicinal preparations, and coca tea. Thus, the total area under coca cultivation prohibited under Bolivian law was 11,600 hectares. The overall area under coca cultivation produced an estimated 28,300 metric tons of dry coca leaf, of which 17,100 metric tons were estimated to have been used for cocaine production. Prices of drug coca leaf averaged US$ 5.4 per kilogram in 2003. The report advises that the implementation of initiatives to encourage coca farmers to adopt alternative sustainable livelihoods, along with sustained eradication efforts, particularly in the Chapare area, have contributed to a decline in coca cultivation compared to estimates a few years ago. 14 tables, 7 graphs, and appended supplementary data and information